Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for The Stand book ending.
Summary
- "The Stand" movie adaptation must omit the awkward Deus ex machina ending with Randall Flagg.
- The emotional arcs of Frannie and Stu must be central to the movie to capture the novel's tone.
- Fans often find Stephen King's endings unpredictable and not aligned with the story's setup.
Several of Stephen King' s novels are over 1,000 pages, including the haunting Under the Dome, the creepy clown story IT, and his post-apocalyptic story The Stand. While many would say that the latter could become an epic TV series that spans ten seasons (and it would be a lot of fun to go on that wild ride), Doug Liman is directing a movie adaptation of King's famous book.
Hopefully, several elements of King's The Stand will remain the same, including the strong and smart main character Frannie Goldsmith, who becomes more and more likable as the story progresses. But while fans like when adaptations follow King's work closely, the ending of The Stand has some problems, and it could be the trickiest part of the film.
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How Can Stephen King's The Stand Ending Work In The Movie Adaptation?
Stephen King's The Stand ending isn't his weakest, but it uses the tricky plot device of deux ex machina, which has frustrated some fans. When the Trashcan Man has a bomb, the "Hand of God" comes out of nowhere, and while some could argue that it works with the supernatural tone of the story, others definitely think it's unrealistic. The ending is ultimately happy as Stu and Frannie end up together and readers know they're going to raise her child together. Then, Randall Flagg proves he's still a horrifying villain as he changes his name and starts a new group who will do whatever he says.
This "Hand of God" moment is awkward and clunky in the novel, and it's hard to imagine it working well in The Stand movie adaptation. While Mike Flanagan is right that the story is about evil and good, and those themes will no doubt translate well, this scene could look corny. There are a lot of factors at play here, from which actor is cast as Flagg and what kind of special or practical effects are used. While the Osgood Perkins horror movie The Monkey has some wild scenes and it's fairly over-the-top at times, that tone won't work for The Stand.
The Stand miniseries from 2020 has an ending that is fairly similar to the book and focuses on Frannie and Stu's vision for the future. The Stand movie adaptation should focus on this, too, or the ending is going to be cheesy and forgettable. One of the biggest concerns about the movie is how a filmmaker can adapt such a long book. Juggling all those characters won't be easy. But if Frannie and Stu's character arcs end the same way as the book, and Randall Flagg's "Hand of God" moment is omitted, the movie has a chance at getting it right. Most of all, the emotional journey that Frannie goes on has to be shown on screen. If that doesn't happen, then the film will have failed to capture the tone of the popular novel.
Fans Aren't Always Thrilled With Stephen King's Endings
Stephen King has a large fanbase thanks to his haunting and enduring stories about kids with special powers, a car taken over by the paranormal, and a pet sematary that brings pets and children back from the dead. But although his readers always look forward to his new releases and can't wait to find out about new adaptations, many agree that some of his endings aren't perfect. It's also fair to say that when people read a novel that is over 1,000 pages, they have high expectations for how the story is going to wrap up, and they might not always agree with the storytelling choices that have been made.
In a discussion on Reddit, one fan suggested that sometimes King's conclusions feel random, or the story ends on a note that people don't expect. They wrote:
"it’s because his endings aren’t really where the narrative started off or seemed to be going. It feels almost like bait-and-switch."
Another fan suggested that King's endings use a sometimes frustrating plot device but also feel realistic and relatable, and they might not be what people want or expect. They wrote:
"Deus ex machina. And back to reality sadness. My humble opinion is that SK works very hard to create fiction that mirrors reality. He adds his twists, provides foreshadowing, and as the stories continues the fantastic elements escalate to a literary crescendo."
The best King movie or TV adaptations are creative takes on his work that still capture his intended themes. Hopefully future adaptations, like the film based on the beloved book Billy Summers, will get the endings right by changing them when the story warrants it.
- Birthdate
- September 21, 1947
- Birthplace
- Portland, Maine
- Notable Projects
- The Shining, Cujo, The Shawshank Redemption, It, Carrie
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