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First look at "The Stand" mini-series, Alexander Skarsgard as Randall Flagg, Whoopi Goldberg as Mother Abigail

JareBear: Remastered

JareBear: Remastered

Banned
Mini-series is coming to CBS All-Access



www.ign.com

The Stand: First Images of Stephen King Miniseries Released - IGN

First-look images from The Stand miniseries showcase the cast in the upcoming adaptation of the Stephen King novel.
www.ign.com www.ign.com



Vanity Fair shared the exclusive reel of photos showcasing "the good, the bad, and the otherworldly" in the upcoming series, created by Josh Boone and Benjamin Cavell, who is also serving as showrunner alongside Taylor Elmore.
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Whoopi Goldberg is among those pictured; she is starring in the series as 108-year old Mother Abigail, a blind prophet who is essential to humanity's fight for survival after a devastating plague sweeps the globe.

Alexander Skarsgård also makes his debut as the iconic villain Randall Flagg, a charismatic rockabilly demon who is "galvanizing as a leader." His true power is said to be his ability to bring out the worst in his followers.

Elsewhere, Heather Graham's Rita Blakemoor is pictured alongside Jovan Adepo's Larry Underwood, a struggling, drug-addicted musician who finds his true calling after civilization collapses. Owen Teague's Harold Lauder, Odessa Young's Frannie Goldsmith and Nat Wolff's Lloyd Henreid also make appearances.

These ragtag bunch of characters are placed in a post-apocalyptic world after a pandemic of a weaponized strain of influenza almost wiped out the entire world population
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J

jason10mm

Gold Member
Man, this is either gonna do great as it cashes in on covid mania or it will tank due to horrible horrible timing.

I wonder how many trump jokes will be in it though....
 
GreyHorace

GreyHorace

Member
Is Alexander Skarsgard doomed to play Stephen King villains?

But wait, wasn't Pennywise supposed to be another aspect and form of Randall Flagg? In that case his casting makes sense.
 
GreyHorace

GreyHorace

Member
NecrosaroIII said:
Different Skarsgard. Pennywise was Bill.
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Oops. Just realized that.

alexander-skarsgard-pranking-bill-skarsgard-at-the-it-premiere-is-peak-annoying-older-brother.jpg


But it could be a case of intentional casting. Since they're brothers the filmmakers could be using this to imply a connection between Flagg and Pennywise.
 
T

Teslerum

Member
GreyHorace said:
Is Alexander Skarsgard doomed to play Stephen King villains?

But wait, wasn't Pennywise supposed to be another aspect and form of Randall Flagg? In that case his casting makes sense.
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.... No? Not at all. Two completly different villians, despite technically being in the same universe. Pennywise is an outright cosmic monster with no real ambitions (apart from happily eating in his small town and hiding from the turtle),
Flagg on the other hand is more of a *greater* evil personality. A sweeping generalization of high ambitions that likes to fuck around with people, even countries to his own benefit. It's also strongly hinted, if not outright stated that Flagg is always the same person. He has the ability to hop around after all and does so regulary.
 
GreyHorace

GreyHorace

Member
Teslerum said:
.... No? Not at all. Two completly different villians, despite technically being in the same universe. Pennywise is an outright cosmic monster with no real ambitions (apart from happily eating in his small town and hiding from the turtle),
Flagg on the other hand is more of a *greater* evil personality. A sweeping generalization of high ambitions that likes to fuck around with people, even countries to his own benefit. It's also strongly hinted, if not outright stated that Flagg is always the same person. He has the ability to hop around after all and does so regulary.
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I'll take your word for it since I've never really read much of Stephen King's work. Most of what I know comes from wikis and I know that Flagg is also the main villain of The Dark Tower series. Since he pops up in different realities I assumed Pennywise was one of his manifestations.
 
mekes

mekes

Member
Haven’t read the book but always see it recommended by King fans. I’m interested, I really enjoyed The Outsider a few months back so hoping that this will also be good.
 
Dev1lXYZ

Dev1lXYZ

Member
That picture of Randall Flagg is far different than how he is described in the book. This portrayal makes him like like some playboy hipster. He’s dressed far too nicely. Flagg basically wears casual clothing- blue jeans, t-shirt, boots. I did find a picture once I went into the article with him properly dressed. Whoopi Goldberg as Mother Abigail? Bitch, please. Does Hollywood have a shortage of older black women or something?! Do you think a woman who’s 108 has hair like that? Do you think they could even wear a wig like that or with that style? CBS All Access continues their streak of ruining franchises. I’d rather not have a Stand mini series than this one.

I read the book every year.
 
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DiscoJer

DiscoJer

Member
Stephen King really ruined Randall Flagg by revealing that instead of being a mysterious evil entity, a la Nyarlathotep,
he was just a human who turned really bitter after being molested as a kid.
 
T

Teslerum

Member
DiscoJer said:
Stephen King really ruined Randall Flagg by revealing that instead of being a mysterious evil entity, a la Nyarlathotep,
he was just a human who turned really bitter after being molested as a kid.
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Honestly that was one of the good parts.

Randall Flagg, a single human (sorcerer to be fair) transcending everything and treating both time and space as his plaything is a much more interesting concept than random cosmic ass entity #34583. We already have IT and the Crimson King for that. It also makes him a better villian than both.

If King ruined something its probably everything after beating up that car and his quality dipping (last three Dark Tower Books) and, well

writing himself into the story.
 
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haxan7

haxan7

Banned
The chance of this not sucking the shit out of the ass of a ferret infected with a human-transmissable bat flu is next to nothing, but I might watch it anyway, but I won't because I don't give a shit anymore.
 
ZehDon

ZehDon

Member
The original is still one of my all time favourites - cheesy and melodramatic as it may be. One of my favourites from King, too.

I’ll be curious to see how a high budget, star lead show in 2020 handles the positive portrayal of religious themes that the mini-series didn’t shy away from.
 
GreyHorace

GreyHorace

Member
I just had a thought about this. What if this new adaptation of The Stand is turned into an allegory against Trump?

With the Covid-19 pandemic still going on, it seems pretty obvious with the timing of this.
 
King of Foxes

King of Foxes

Banned
I bet Stu will be black, Frannie will stay white.

Glen will be hispanic

*edit*

i was wrong, Larry Underwood is now black and Nick (deaf guy) is now hispaic


Teslerum said:
Honestly that was one of the good parts.

Randall Flagg, a single human (sorcerer to be fair) transcending everything and treating both time and space as his plaything is a much more interesting concept than random cosmic ass entity #34583. We already have IT and the Crimson King for that. It also makes him a better villian than both.

If King ruined something its probably everything after beating up that car and his quality dipping (last three Dark Tower Books) and, well

writing himself into the story.
Click to expand...

In my mind the Dark Tower ended with Wolves
 
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AV

AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
I completely missed this somehow. I really like Alex Skarsgard and think he's pretty good casting for Flagg.

Should still have been McConaughey as Redman and Bale as Flagg, though. Would have been perfect.
 
joe_zazen

joe_zazen

Member
I had the insane idea to read all the gunslinger books including the tangentially related ones.

  • "The Dark Man" -- As previously discussed, this poem about the figure who would turn into Randall Flagg has significance in a historical sense. Like "Childe Roland," it can function almost as an epigraph to everything that comes next.
  • "The Hardcase Speaks" -- This is a 1971 poem that does not seemingly have any direct connection to the Tower, and may not even have any indirect connection. So why am I including it? Well, Randall Flagg, the eventual villain of the Tower series, is referred to as "the hardcase" in The Stand, so I think this poem may be an unofficial sequel to "The Dark Man." If you want to read it and make up your own mind, you'll be able to find it in The Devil's Wine, an anthology pof poetry by horror writers. Good luck finding a copy of the book; but, still, that's where it is. (By the way, I've broken by chronological approach a wee bit to keep these three poems in an epigraphical position. Apologies for the inconsistency!)
  • "Night Surf" -- This short story, originally published in 1969 and collected in 1978's Night Shift, serves as a sort of prologue to The Stand. It's not essential, but it's probably worth your time.
  • "Slade" -- This short story was published in weekly installments during the summer of 1970, and is a fourth-wall-breaking satire of Westerns. It's fairly awful, but since its origins seem to coincide with those of The Gunslinger, I think it's got enough historical merit to be included here. Good luck finding a copy, though; it's never been reprinted, and is almost impossible to locate.
  • "The Blue Air Compressor" -- Another awful story, this one (from 1971) includes more of the sort of fourth-wall-breaking that can be said to be of interest to people reading the Tower series. This, too, is a difficult story to locate, although it was reprinted in a 1981 issue of Heavy Metal and is scheduled to be reprinted in a 2017 anthology called Shining in the Dark. But trust me when I tell you: you're not missing much.
  • Carrie -- King's first published novel came out in 1974, and while it has no direct connection to the Tower, it does include the first of his telekinetic/telepathic main characters. That concept will be important to the Tower series as a whole: we will eventually learn that such individuals can be put to use as Breakers (don't worry for now about what that means). Carrie White could be said to be a potential Breaker, and for that reason, I think it makes sense to include her novel on an expansive list like this.
  • Salem's Lot -- Part of the reason why I decided to make this list chronological in nature is that while I love the interconnectedness of King's work, there are times when I grow weary of it. I love the way Salem's Lot works within the context of Wolves of the Calla, for example; but it's just as true to say that I dislike the way Salem's Lot was robbed of its independence by having been made a part of the broader Tower narrative. In other words, when I re-read Salem's Lot, I prefer to think about the Dark Tower series as little as possible. Reading the books in chronological order helps in that capacity. (By the way, I'd like to address the fact that I'm omitting two short stories related to Salem's Lot, "One for the Road" and "Jerusalem's Lot." I think both are germane to a reading of Salem's Lot, but I don't think they serve any actual purpose to the Tower. Some might say that that's an inconsistent approach, since I included "Night Surf." I'm sticking by the decision.)
  • The Shining -- One of King's best novels, this 1977 work is another example of a potential Breaker.
  • The Stand -- The original, abridged 1978 version. But if you want, you can sub in the 1990 expanded version instead.
  • The Dead Zone -- This 1979 novel is about another potential Breaker. Although, let's be clear: any time you see me saying that, I'm giving you my interpretation. None of those novels -- Carrie, The Shining, The Dead Zone, or any of the later ones I will be listing -- say a word about "Breakers" or the Tower or anything like that. In some cases, those books have links to other works that are directly linked to the Tower; but in terms of direct evidence, there is none. Still, for my personal purposes, I feel they belong and am therefore recommending them to you on that basis.
  • "The Mist"
  • Firestarter -- Yet another potential Breaker.
  • The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger -- The 1982 edition this time. Read it in its proper context and you're better positioned to appreciate -- or not, as the case may be -- the revisions King makes later.
  • "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut" -- There is a concept introduced in Wizard and Glass that could be said to be the explanation for what is going on in this 1984 short story. You can find it in Skeleton Crew.
  • The Talisman -- As you now know, this novel was co-authored by Peter Straub. One thing I don't know for sure is whether any of Straub's later work can be said to be connected to The Talisman or Black House. If such a thing were to exist, we'd probably have to decide whether it also connected to the Dark Tower series. That's a can of worms I'd rather not open, but if a persuasive case could be made, I'd be willing to hear it.
  • The Eyes of the Dragon -- Not published widely until 1987 (and in a revised edition), I'm nevertheless listing the novel here, since its limited edition came out later in the same year as The Talisman. That, I feel, is where it belongs. Plus, as a reader pointed out to me in the comments of my 2012 post on this subject, reference to some of the events of The Eyes of the Dragon is made in The Drawing of the Three. So I think it makes sense to place it here from that standpoint, as well.
  • It -- Behold the Turtle of enormous girth...
  • The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
  • "The Reploids"
  • The Dark Half -- I'm on really shaky ground including this one, and can't say why I am including it without spoiling the novel. So I'll leave it at saying that in addition to that unstated reason, this novel includes the first appearance by the main character of Needful Things.
  • The Stand -- The expanded 1990 edition this time. Hey, why not read The Stand twice? It will give you a better sense of what changes were made for the expanded edition. But if that's not your cup of tea, I get it.
  • Four Past Midnight -- This is another one where I'm on shaky ground including it. And again, I can't say why without being a little spoilery, so I won't. I will, however, hint that I think all four of the short novels that form this collection -- "The Langoliers," "Secret Window, Secret Garden," "The Library Policeman," and "The Sun Dog" -- could be said to be explained by various concepts contained within the Tower series. That's arguably less true of "Secret Window, Secret Garden" than of the rest, but I'd still consider it viable in that regard. (I'll grant you that concepts from the Tower series COULD be used to explain just about any work of fiction. That's not lost on me. But I'm being more specific than that; trust me. I've actually left off quite a few titles that I didn't feel quite managed to merit inclusion. The Tommyknockers, for example, which nearly made the cut for a few different reasons.)
  • The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
  • Needful Things
  • Insomnia
  • Rose Madder
  • The Green Mile -- Another potential Breaker here. There is also a potential connection to "The Little Sisters of Eluria," but I'm not 100% sure of that one.
  • Desperation and The Regulators
  • "Everything's Eventual"
  • The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
  • Bag of Bones
  • "The Little Sisters of Eluria"
  • Storm of the Century
  • Hearts In Atlantis
  • On Writing
  • The Plant: Book One - Zenith Rising -- Published online in serial format during the year 2000, The Plant has a few references that show it to be connected to the series. They don't amount to a whole heck of a lot, and the novel was never actually finished, so don't expect too much; but technically speaking, it counts. As of this writing, it was still available for free on King's website.
  • Dreamcatcher -- Another potential Breaker. Maybe more than one.
  • Black House
  • From A Buick 8
  • The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (revised edition) -- You're in the big leagues now, so you're more than capable of rereading this novel in revised format so as to better understand what changes King made prior to launching the final three novels in the series. And unlike my inclusion of both versions of The Stand, I feel quite strongly that you need to read both versions of The Gunslinger, and in this order.
  • The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
  • Kingdom Hospital
  • The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
  • The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower
  • The Colorado Kid -- This 2005 novel was published by Hard Case Crime, and it frustrated a lot of readers: what was ostensibly either a crime or mystery novel had virtually no crime in it and featured a mystery that was never solved. But if you've read "The Reploids" and/or Song of Susannah, you might be able to solve the mystery to your own satisfaction. I'm only speculating about that; but I believe it to be the case, and so here the novel is, on this list.
  • Cell
  • Lisey's Story -- This one has only mild connections (and is, in my opinion, kind of a disaster as a piece of fiction), but nevertheless ought to be included, just to be on the safe side. I'm unable to give it an actual recommendation, but I didn't want to let bias prevent me from including it.
  • The Dark Tower by Marvel Comics -- We may as well address this here. Beginning in 2007, Marvel Comics began publishing comic-book adaptations of the Dark Tower series. Today, in 2016, they are still ongoing. The first few arcs were a retelling of (and a furthering of) some of the flashback sequences about young Roland scattered throughout the novels; and as such, they contain a wealth of information about the history and mythology of Mid-World that is not contained in King's novels. Thing is, King himself had virtually no actual input into this stuff, so while some -- though by no means all -- of it is quite good, it is highly debatable as to how Kingian it is. Some fans insist it ought to be included; I insist that it should only be considered to be an adaptation. But if you are making that decision for yourself, right about here is where you'd want to start reading them. If you do, find an edition that contains all the supplemental material contained in the backs of the single issues; it won't be easy (or cheap) to do, but if you're going to read these comics at all, you need to read them in their entirety.
  • Duma Key -- You could probably say this is another potential Breaker novel. But there are also thematic connections to Insomnia and Book VII. (That latter is also true of the short story "The Road Virus Heads North," but I've opted not to include it.)
  • "N." -- This terrific 2008 short story can be found in the collection Just After Sunset, and while it has no direct Tower connections, the odds seem good that the connections are there, just not in explicit format.
  • "Ur"
  • "Blockade Billy" -- This 2010 short story can be found in The Bazaar of Bad Dreams and is only included due to the fact that King's website lists it. I've omitted a few titles that are present on that list, but have opted to include this one for reasons that sort of escape me. Or I'm trying to avoid being spoilery. You decide.
  • "Fair Extension" -- This short story can be found in 2010's Full Dark, No Stars and apparently one character mentions the Tower in it. Apart from that, I'm not sure about this one. but what the heck, let's include it anyways.
  • 11/22/63
  • The Wind Through the Keyhole -- All things considered, I do believe this can and possibly should be read as Book IV-and-a-half of the series. However, there is something to be said for reading it in its chronological-by-composition place, as well. The break from the characters (eight years between Book VII and Keyhole) has more impact, for one thing; and there are a few mild inconsistencies that might stand out more prominently if you read this within the main body of the series. I think it works either way; but on this particular list, for you obsessives, I'd recommend placing it here.
  • "Afterlife" -- This 2012 short story can be found in The Bazaar of Bad Dreams. Not even gonna hint at why I'm including it.
  • Doctor Sleep -- Not only is this 2013 novel a direct sequel to The Shining, but it, too, is about a potential Breaker.
  • Revival -- It's not Tower-connected in any direct sense (apart from a few brief references), but a commenter -- hi, Zoe! -- made a persuasive case for this being considered. And so I'm including it here.
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I made it up to and including The Stand, and had to stop. But i thought i’d share incase anyone wants to try.
 
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pr0cs

pr0cs

Member
We still don't know who plays Trashcan man eh?
I really thought Frewer did a good job in the first series.
 
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NickFire

NickFire

Member
Dev1lXYZ said:
That picture of Randall Flagg is far different than how he is described in the book. This portrayal makes him like like some playboy hipster.
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It's been a long time since I read the dark tower series, but didn't they pretty much establish him as a playboy? Perhaps I'm mistaken, but I think he seduced the mother of King's main dude.
 
Dev1lXYZ

Dev1lXYZ

Member
NickFire said:
It's been a long time since I read the dark tower series, but didn't they pretty much establish him as a playboy? Perhaps I'm mistaken, but I think he seduced the mother of King's main dude.
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Flagg did seduce Roland’s mother, Gabrielle Deschain. He was the trusted advisor of the court. As far as being a playboy type of character, not really. His attire is more in line with whomever he is in league with at the moment. In the book, since he is in the company of a rather motley crew of thugs he’s dressed in casual attire- jeans, t-shirts, and cowboy boots. Like a metal head type from the ‘80’s.
 
NickFire

NickFire

Member
Dev1lXYZ said:
Flagg did seduce Roland’s mother, Gabrielle Deschain. He was the trusted advisor of the court. As far as being a playboy type of character, not really. His attire is more in line with whomever he is in league with at the moment. In the book, since he is in the company of a rather motley crew of thugs he’s dressed in casual attire- jeans, t-shirts, and cowboy boots. Like a metal head type from the ‘80’s.
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That Mother F. . . . . er Flagg!!!!!!!!!
 
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INC

INC

Member
The original mini series started great, but went to shit at the end

Looking forward to this tho
 
NecrosaroIII

NecrosaroIII

Ultimate DQ Fan
GreenAlien said:
Did anyone watch the first few episodes? How is it? true to the source? woke?
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It's fairly true to the source, though moderned up. Scene for scene, it's pretty good. Good performances. I like Skaarsgard as Flagg. Lloyd is a bit odd (Miguel Ferrier in the original miniseries was probably too old for the role, but he did a good job). Marsden as Stu is pretty good. There are some solid performances.

However, the format suuuuucks. The story is told out of sequence, sort of like Lost. Each episode focuses on a different character and explains how they got to Boulder. This is a show that would serve from a fan edit, I feel. Take each scene and edit it into chronological order and you'd have something alright.
 
xrnzaaas

xrnzaaas

Member
I gave up after seeing two episodes. The lack of chronology bothers me the most. You don't show "the end" in the first scene of the first episode goddamit. I'm also not a fan of the casting, Heather Graham / Rita is way too hot to play the character from the books, Amber Heard should've been fired and recasted, but Harold not being a fatty is probably the biggest problem.

The way how they used the budget is also strange, on one hand there are a few cool postapocalyptic shots, on the other hand swollen necks from the disease look comical.
 
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T8SC

T8SC

Gold Member
International distribution rights? Any info?

Edit - Nevermind, Starzplay, whatever the hell that is. Another subscription service that can fuck off.
 
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