LOS ANGELES, Sept 12 — Actors Whoopi Goldberg and Alexander Skarsgard will be joining James Marsden (Westworld) and Amber Heard (Aquaman) as part of the cast of the adaptation of Stephen King novel The Stand, according to reports by US outlets. The series, which will debut in 2020 on CBS All Access, will be made up of 10 episodes, with the last episode written by the Master of Horror himself.
After playing the antagonist in the first season of Big Little Lies, Alexander Skarsgard is back as a villain in upcoming CBS All Access series The Stand. The True Blood actor will be playing Randall Flagg, aka The Man in Black. Oscar-winner Whoopi Goldberg will also be joining the already-illustrious cast, playing the role of 108-year-old Mother Abigail.
The Stand takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in the wake of the spread of a deadly virus that has wiped out a large part of the world’s population. Mother Abigail, who is immune to the superflu pandemic, is leading a small group of survivors, guiding them via visions she claims to receive from God, in order to fight incarnations of evil Randall Flagg and his disciples.
Actors Jovan Adepo (Overlord), Owen Teague (It), Brad William Henke (Orange is the New Black) and Daniel Sunjata (Rescue Me) are also part of the cast alongside Heard, Marsden, Goldberg and Skarsgard.
The 10-episode series was created and directed by Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars), who has written the script alongside Stephen King himself. As a bonus, King will write the final episode of the drama, adding a new chapter to the original novel.
The Stand was already adapted for TV in 1994 on American network ABC with Jamey Sheridan (Homeland, Arrow) and Ruby Dee playing Randall Flagg and Mother Abigail respectively.
Another King novel, The Institute, which just came out in the US, will also be adapted as a series. — AFP-Relaxnews
