The Cutprice Guignol

Hi, I’m Lou, I read Stephen King’s The Stand when I was fourteen and never got over it! The trailer for the miniseries adaptation of the superb book just came out, and I’d like to talk to you a little about it.

0:10: It looks like they’re going for the extended-edition opening, which I think is the superior one – this is a really handsome shot, probably from inside the CDC, and I hope they stick to this as the prologue, because it’s just so damn compelling.

0:12: Yada, yada, typical post-Apocalypse stuff. Fine. Okay.

0:15: Oh, look, it’s Nick (I think)! Honestly, Henry Zaga has a thankless fuckin’ role here, because Nick is the epitome of the Consumate Hero and is therefore one of the least interesting characters in the book. I’m hoping to see them switch that up a little for this adaptation, but I’m not confident.

0:19: Heather Graham! I’m always glad to Heather Graham turn up in stuff – I think she’s got more gravitas than people give her credit for, and something about her casting in this just feels to match the tone of the book, somehow.

0:29: Jovan Adepo as Larry is one of the things that I am most outrightly excited about in this adaptation. After his unbelievable turn in Watchmen, landing what is arguably the second-most interesting role (I’ll get to that, don’t worry) in this story is so juicy, and I’m sure he’s going to make Larry work.

0:33: Talk about thankless roles. Mother Abigail is such a tropey character, and is basically nothing more than a functional gathering point in the book – again, with Whoopi Goldberg in the role, I’m hoping that they give it a little more depth, and I’m very into her portrayal in this trailer.

0:41: Truly a scandal that this miniseries didn’t JUMP on the chance to typecast a newly-de-walking-dead-ed Andrew Lincoln as the gruff but likeable patriarch of a post-apocalyptic society. I don’t mind James Marsters in this role, but there are a dozen other people I would have liked better.

0:55: This is exactly how I approach my cat to give her a kiss on her little head while she’s asleep. No notes.

1:00: Truly, I think most fans of this book are here for the bad guys, and Randy Flagg in particular. It’s a tough performance to pull off, and I’m honestly not convinced it can actually exist outside of the page, but I’m willing to be proved wrong.

1:14: Hurrah! Harold Lauder, the actual best character in the book. I love the way this scene looks, and I just can’t wait to see this brought to life. I’ve been waiting for someone to do justice to Harold’s arc for years, and I’m ready to see it already!

1:21: I’m going to be honest with you – I don’t really like the idea of Flagg having explicit mystical powers shown like this. I get that it’s just a small thing, but I like the idea of his odd, unknowable nature, and the fact that he rarely feels the need to perform his power for people on such a small scale, because it’s just conveyed by his presence.

1:24: After Death Note, I was hoping that I’d never see Nat Wolff in anything again, let alone as Lloyd, one of my favourite characters from The Stand. Prove me wrong, Wolff! Prove me wrong!

1:28: Okay, yes, we get it. It’s the carpet from The Shining. The Shining exists. Can we just, for once, be cool about it? For once? Can we just? Be cool?

1:30: Very neccessary strippers. Great, great, good. I’m sure this won’t be a regurgitation of the book’s somewhat unfortunate depiction of women’s sexuality being tied to The Bad Place.

1:39: I don’t like the costuming or look for Randy Flagg at all. I get that he’s supposed to have a kind of throwback cowboy look about him, but the original novel was throwing back to the early 20th century, whereas this looks like it’s throwing back to Coyote Ugly or something.

1:50: But then, Alexander Skargard is still an incredible actor. I have faith in him for this. If his little brother Bill could do it for IT, who’s to say he can’t do it for The Stand?

1:53: I think one of the stone-cold best bits of casting for this is Brad William Henke as Tom Cullen. It’s going to be a tough role to pull off, but his energy is dead right for it, and I love the idea of him for the job.

1:57: Amber Heard is just…simply not a very good actress. I’m not looking forward to her Nadine, to be honest.

2:06: That seems to be Irene Bedard, whose been cast as a gender-swapped Ray, and I’m very into seeing what she’s going to do. I think it’s a smart choice to include a woman in the finally Stand portion of the story, and she’s the one to sell it, for sure.

Overall, I like this, but I don’t love it – I’m still unconvinced by some of the casting, and Flagg still has a hell of a lot to prove. But I’m still pumped, since this is the adaptation I’ve been waiting for, and I’d love to hear what you think about it in the comments below!

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(header image via Vanity Fair)