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With more than 100 adaptations of his work in movies, TV shows, and miniseries, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly which of Stephen King’s adapted stories is the best. When it comes to his longer, more complex books, it seems miniseries adaptations have done the best job of transposing King’s writing without losing important details or character development. None does this better than 1994’s The Stand, a 366-minute, four-part miniseries that premiered on ABC.
Based on King’s 1,152-page behemoth, the longest book of his career, The Stand presents a story of good vs. evil with the remaining survivors of a deadly man-made plague that has wiped out 99% of the Earth’s population. The miniseries won two Primetime Emmys for Best Makeup and Best Sound Mixing and was nominated for three more. Holding a 67% from critics and a 72% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes, it was impossible for Mick Garris to stuff such a gargantuan book into four episodes. However, even 32 years later, no King miniseries has topped The Stand.
The Stand’s Budget Matched the Book’s Epic Story
The Stand had a massive budget of almost $28 million, which, for the time, was huge for a TV event. Aside from bringing in Mick Garris, who directed Critters 2 and Stephen King’s Sleepwalkers, the miniseries boasted an A-list cast of TV and movie stars, most of whom were nominated for Emmys and Academy Awards.
The cast included Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, Jamey Sheridan, Ruby Lee, Ossie Davis, Miguel Ferrer, Matt Frewer, and Shawnee Smith in major cast roles. Peppered throughout the miniseries were recognizable and pleasantly surprising cameos from Sam Raimi, Ed Harris, Jeff Goldblum, Kathy Bates, John Landis, and even a cameo from Stephen King himself.
The Stand’s biggest strength, and perhaps what it’s most notable for aside from its great acting and character exploration, is its incredible special effects. Creating a worldwide plague for TV isn’t easy, especially in a time when digital special effects were used sparingly and were mostly unrealistic.
Instead, The Stand sported an Emmy and Oscar Award-winning team that separately worked on films like Jurassic Park, Starship Troopers, Sleepy Hollow, Jumanji, Deadpool, Hereditary, and other juggernaut films. The impressive amount of effort that went into this primetime TV event just isn’t something that happens anymore.
Big-budget episodes for shows and miniseries are reserved for major streaming services like HBO Max and Disney+. While some parts of the miniseries are dated after three decades, it mostly paid off and stands the test of time, and the amount of money and dedication that went into it is a testament to how great events like these can be.
Hollywood Can't Seem to Recreate The Stand’s Success
After the 1994 series, two decades went by before Hollywood revisited (and modernized) The Stand. With an influx of two-part films in the early 2010s, several filmmakers were approached by Warner Bros. to direct a multiple-film series.
Most notably, Ben Affleck was set to direct the films, with The Terror’s David Kajganich writing the screenplay. Unfortunately, Affleck left the project due to scheduling issues, and the project was dropped after Scott Cooper was approached to direct. Ultimately, the 2013-2014 films were side-tabled for Andy Muschietti’s two-part IT films in 2017 and 2019.
Due to the financial success of those films, considering they are the highest-grossing horror films ever made, The Stand seemed more likely to hit the big screen. In 2020, the decision was made to bring The Stand back where it was most successful: a new miniseries, exclusive to Paramount+.
Josh Boone and Justified’s Benjamin Cavell ran the show and assembled a great cast of veteran actors, including James Marsden, Whoopi Goldberg, and Alexander Skarsgård as hard-to-adapt villain Randall Flagg. However, most thought it was barely average, citing great casting and practical effects but jumbled, confusing storytelling, with many of the story's events told completely out of order.
After five years, King fans are still not satisfied with the recent adaptation and still clamor for a retelling that matches the efforts of the 1994 miniseries. Paramount Pictures plans to reboot the 1100-page story once again, this time back in film form, with Edge of Tomorrow’s Doug Liman attached to direct.
