Iconic Stephen King novel is being adapted for the THIRD time... and fans aren't happy about it
According to Deadline, Doug Liman will direct a theatrical adaptation of King's The Stand.
Released in 1978, King's epic post-apocalyptic novel centers on factions of people trying to survive after a deadly pandemic.
The lengthy tome was acclaimed by critics and went on to become one of the author's bestselling books.
It's been adapted twice before for television, first in 1994 as a four episode miniseries that took home two Emmys.
The 1994 version starred Molly Ringwald and Rob Lowe, and was written and produced by King himself.
It was then revived once again by CBS in 2020 as a nine-episode limited series starring James Marsden, Alexander Skarsgård, Whoopi Goldberg, Amber Heard.
Liman's upcoming version will be the first time that The Stand has been adapted theatrically.
Fans of the novel have already expressed their frustration with the theatrical version, claiming that a movie isn't enough time to capture the expansive story.
'Unless it's committed to six movies and filmed back to back like Lord of the Rings style I'm not sure there is a reason to make The Stand theatrical,' commented one.
'Multiples movies right? Right? That book CANNOT be told in one film. It simply can't,' wrote another.
A third commented, 'Again?! This will be the third attempt. All we want is a Dark Tower series please!'
Another wrote, 'I think the scale of The Stand is deserving of the big screen. However, I think it should be a trilogy.'
While fans are wary of the big screen adaptation, The Stand appears to be in good hands with Liman directing.
Liman was behind some of the most popular action hits of the last few decades, including Edge of Tomorrow, The Bourne Identity, Mr & Mrs Smith, and the recent Road House remake with Jake Gyllenhaal.
Both Ben Affleck and George A. Romero have attempted to the develop The Stand for the big screen in the past with little luck.
Meanwhile, King currently has a number of projects in the works based on his novels.
First up is The Institute, which is set to scare viewers when it hits MGM+ next month.
The eight-part limited series follows the terrifying story of Luke Ellis, a 12-year-old prodigy whose life is shattered overnight when he's kidnapped and wakes up inside a shadowy facility known only as The Institute.
Inside, he meets other children with psychic abilities who are being subjected to disturbing and painful experiments under the watchful eye of the calculating Ms. Sigsby, played by Emmy-winner Mary-Louise Parker.
While the children initially believe that they're there to be taught and cared for, they soon discover that the staff at The Institute are trying to weaponize their powers for evil.
King's fans were furious earlier this year when Netflix announced it would be making a reboot of his novel Cujo.
Amazon Prime also revealed that they're turning his iconic novel Carrie into a series.
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