NEW YORK, June 9 — According to The Wrap, Stephen King’s novel will be adapted to both the big and small screens. The television version will be presented by Showtime and will precede a feature film that Warner Bros. has been trying to produce since 2011.
How do you bring Stephen King’s writing, so rich and often so long, to the movies without watering it down? For many years, Hollywood has encountered one obstacle after another, including massive production costs for long adaptations, before finding a solution to its financial worries: the big screen has called on its little brother, television, for support.
A new transmedia adventure
Like “The Dark Tower,” another Stephen King story that Hollywood has been wrestling with, “The Stand” will be released as an eight-part mini-series and a feature film. Josh Boone (“The Fault in our Stars”), previously recruited for the film, will also direct the televised production. If everything goes according to Warner Bros.’ plans, filming could begin in early 2016. The next challenge will be casting this new multiplatform storytelling experience, and there is no indication if the participation of Matthew McConaughey, linked to the project since last summer, is confirmed.
The arrival of the small screen as support offers a new alternative for studios that until now were hitting a wall with adaptations of long Stephen King novels (“The Stand” runs 1,200 pages). Sony Pictures has also adopted this strategy for “The Dark Tower,” a saga that spans eight volumes. Danish director Nikolaj Arcel will direct the three feature films as well as the various seasons of the series that will serve as bridges between the films.
Stephen King, prolific provider for TV and cinema
The master of horror and suspense remains an endless source of inspiration for Hollywood. Many of his books have been adapted to the big or small screen, including a few classics thanks to some famous directors: Brian de Palma took on “Carrie,” Stanley Kubrick “The Shining,” Frank Darabont of “Walking Dead” fame directed “The Green Mile” and “Shawshank Redemption” and John Carpenter “Christine.”
The tradition will continue with a new adaptation of “It,” coming to theatres, though the departure of director Cary Fukunaga (“True Detective”) has thrown a wrench in those plans for now.
On the television side, “Under the Dome” returns to CBS on June 25 for its third season and J.J. Abrams is in charge of “11/22/63,” a nine-episode Hulu series starring James Franco and T.R. Knight. For his part, David E. Kelley, creator of “Ally McBeal,” is preparing a mini-series adaptation of “Mr. Mercedes,” which came out last June. — AFP-Relaxnews
