I'm Worried About Stephen King's The Stand Being One Movie…

Summary

The Stand adaptation into a single movie may be overly ambitious due to its length.
Doug Liman's movie adaptation success depends on casting Tom Cruise as Randall Flagg.
Stephen King favored the 2020 TV mini-series of The Stand despite fans' mixed reactions.

It's tough not to wonder if The Stand can really be one movie, but I have some ideas about how the upcoming film adaptation of Stephen King's lengthy novel can work. A few weeks ago, news broke that Doug Liman is directing a movie based on the 1978 novel, and right away, the horror author's fanbase asked one question: Can this huge book really be turned into a single movie? As much as I'd love to see a new take on the memorable villain Randfall Flagg or kind-hearted Frannie Goldsmith, I have to wonder if this is overly ambitious.

Liman has directed a number of successful action movies including the 2024 Road House remake, 2005's Mr. And Mrs. Smith, and 2002's The Bourne Identity. While I think it will be tricky to adapt a book that is more than 1,000 pages long, I think there are a few ways that the movie can still be great.

Jovan Adepo and Heather Graham in The Stand

Stephen King's The Stand Almost Didn't Even Exist, But I Think The Book's Biggest Flaw Could Be A Huge Strength For The Movie

Stephen King once shared that he wasn't sure he would finish writing The Stand, his popular 1978 post-apocalyptic novel.

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By Aya Tsintziras

Stephen King's The Stand Movie Adaptation Needs Two Things To Succeed

The Stand could become a huge success if the right star and writer are attached. Since Doug Liman is directing The Stand and he has a good professional relationship with Tom Cruise, I think it would be great to see Tom Cruise in the main role of Randall Flagg. It would also be exciting if Christopher McQuarrie wrote the screenplay.

These three creatives have worked together in the past, and their collaborations have been impressive. In December 2024, Deadline reported that Cruise is starring in Liman's upcoming thriller Deeper, and Cruise has also starred in a few Liman-directed films, such as the 2017 action film American Made and 2014's Edge of Tomorrow, which blends action and science fiction. McQuarrie co-wrote the Edge of Tomorrow screenplay and also wrote and directed several Mission: Impossible movies including Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, and Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. He also wrote and directed the 2012 Jack Reacher movie starring Cruise in the role that Alan Ritchson now plays on the popular Prime series.

McQuarrie also co-wrote the screenplay for Top Gun: Maverick, which was a huge success when it was released in 2022. It's this project that might make him the best choice to write Liman's adaptation of The Stand. Top Gun: Maverick achieved a feat that few action sequels can and told an impressive, compelling story with great characters and stunning fast-paced sequences. It matches the quality of the 1986 original, which almost never happens.

I still believe The Stand movie will no doubt be a challenge thanks to the novel's length, but finding the right star will be one important piece of the puzzle. Cruise is one of the most beloved action stars famous for doing his own stunts, and it would be fascinating to see him take on the dark and unforgettable character Randall Flagg. The villain is known for his cowboy boots and supernatural powers, and he's just as haunting as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Cruise has made a career out of playing likable action heroes, and I think it would be fun to see him as an evil character.

While Cruise has never appeared in a King movie before, he could have played Andy in 1994's The Shawshank Redemption, which Frank Darabont wrote and directed. But, according to Vanity Fair, he wanted to star in the movie if Rob Reiner directed. When that didn't happen, Cruise asked if Reiner would still be involved and produce, and Reiner said he wouldn't do that because, as producer Liz Glotzer explained, it was Darabont's "vision."

Stephen King Once Praised The 2020 TV Adaptation Of The Stand

Jovan Adepo and James Marsden in The Stand 2020 miniseries

While fans didn't love The Stand miniseries that was released in 2020, Stephen King remained positive about it. When he appeared on the Post Mortem podcast on the 25th anniversary of the 1994 miniseries, he praised director and co-writer Josh Boone. King said (via Bloody Disgusting):

"I like him a lot. I like his reach… his ambition for [The Stand]. Really the thing I’m most excited about is, first of all, we’ve got two more hours to tell the story. And second, we’re free of all those things that held us back with [the original mini-series]. Not only is the budget bigger… we’re free… in terms of language, in terms of violence… in a way that we weren’t with the original.”

One major complaint? The 2020 miniseries switched up the timeline from King's novel and told the story in non-chronological order. If Doug Liman's The Stand movie can go along with the book's timeline and also cast Tom Cruise as the main villain, I can see the film being fairly compelling.

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