The Stand Movie Casting Call
Who would we love to see cast in the film version of our favourite book?
With the recent news that Harry Potter director David Yates may be interested in adapting Steven King's The Stand, and the author himself speaking out on the subject, we began to rack our brains. The Stand is generally thought to be King's best work, and is undoubtedly this writer's personal favourite novel. Although it was adapted into a well-received TV mini series in 1994, we think that a trilogy of feature films would actually work pretty well. Yates is certainly no stranger to turning an epic literary canon into a successful film series, and as long as the film was cast right, we think it could be a hit.
The characters are one of the best aspects of The Stand, real three-dimensional creations which readers really get to know across the course of the epic tome. We naturally started to imagine who our dream cast would be for such an adaptation, and here's what we came up with. Be warned that we consider the article to contain minor spoilers - not plot points as such, but because getting to know the characters is one of the most enjoyable parts of the story, reading this without having finished the book could possibly get in the way of the reader totally experiencing their journey along with them.
So here are our thoughts - please do let us know what you think, what you agree with, and indeed what you would have done differently.
Stu Redman
One of the main characters of The Stand, Stu is a likable, capable man from Texas. WIth a mixture of blue-collar honesty and clear, rational thinking, he is a popular character, less flawed than the others and integral to the plot. Gary Sinise's turn in the original mini series is widely hailed, so this is a tough act to follow. When thinking of an actor who could nail the part of "East Texas", our thoughts turned immediately to Tim Olyphant. Olyphant's portrayal of Raylan Givens in the FX show Justified puts us in mind of the calm, controlled nature of Stu, whilst his determined turn in The Crazies leads us to think that the Deadwood star could be the man to bring Stu Redman off the page. A cool actor who nails the Southern vibe in Justified, it's a shame Olyphant doesn't get more lead roles. The Stand would be our pick to give him top billing.
Randall Flagg
An absolute gift of a role for a talented actor, Flagg is King's most enduring villain, and a cult favourite amongst fans. Charismatic, seductive, cruel and merciless, Flagg is pure evil. A younger actor who came to mind immediately is Zachary Quinto, after his turn as Sylar in Heroes maintained high levels of menace for such a long time, and this role is not a million miles away in terms of tone. Another emerging star who could go stratospheric in this character could be Bradley Cooper, who certainly nails the charming side of Flagg - although we wonder whether he could be quite as convincingly evil as Quinto. For pure acting ability, though, we think Christian Bale as Randall Flagg would have Oscar written all over it. Capable of wide-eyed fury and brooding cool alike, Bale is an actor at the top of his game who seems born to play Flagg.
Fran Goldsmith
Not the most popular character amongst fans, and famously played by Molly Ringwald in a rather poor piece of casting in the 1994 version, Fran is a tough role to cast. A pretty and popular New England student, Fran is a highly emotionally charged character (Owing to her pregnancy, it is alluded), and is given some heart-wrenching scenes in the book at the time of the initial outbreak. Our initial thoughts turned to Natalie Portman, whose vulnerable turn in Black Swan showed the acting ability needed to really hit the key notes in her main scenes. ScreenGeek favourite Olivia Thirlby was another choice, but we think Melissa George would be our choice for the role. An engaging actress with plenty of horror experience, George is always able to instill humanity and sympathy in her characters, which we think would make her a vital part of a film version of The Stand.
Larry Underwood
Larry is a great character, who goes on the biggest journey in the story. We would need to cast a charismatic actor in this part with the ability to fill an involving arc. The first name that came to mind was Joseph Gordon-Levett, who could certainly pass for a womanising rock star, but also certainly has the acting ability to get the audience onside. Larry is initially not a particularly likeable character, and for whoever fills this role, the internal struggle Larry has with himself would mean it is essential to be able to bring charisma to the part. Jake Gyllenhall could be another great choice, having shown in Source Code that he can inject real pathos into a conflicted character. Stephen King himself has commented that Bruce Springsteen (circa the late '80's) would be an interesting choice, but these days if we were looking for a musician-turned-actor, perhaps Jared Leto would be the go-to guy here.
Nick Andros
Another prominent character, Nick is a deaf-mute drifter, who communicates via notes passed to his friends. He is an immensely popular character, and gives the first half of the book in particular a real emotional heartbeat. Casting for this role would obviously need an actor who is capable of great expression without the use of words. Elijah Wood would be our choice for this role, gifted with an expressive face and acting ability which responds well to challenges - we think Wood would make a great Nick. Another choice could be Cillian Murphy, for similar reasons to those we picked Wood. We would be happy to see either in this particular part.
Tom Cullen
Tom is an absoultely wonderful character, one of our favourites, and this would be a challenging role, requiring a top class actor. Tom is mentally handicapped, but displays heroic characteristics which endear him to fans. He really evolves to become the heart of the adventure over the course of the story, and finding an actor with the ability and physical presence to portray the big man would be a challenge. Tom Hardy comes to mind, his eclectic CV including very tough roles, and it seems that the Englishman could be a good shout here. Woody Harrelson could be another choice, the ever-popular actor has displayed his versatility for years, and would be able to tug on the heart strings and hit the lighter moments with equal aplomb. Aaron Eckhart is an interesting proposal, it would certainly be a departure for the Californian. M-O-O-N spells very difficult to cast, and we have to admit we found this role one of the hardest to fill.
Harold Lauder
Given that Hollywood isn't exactly filled with talent matching King's physical description of the overweight, acne-ridden teenage author, this part is almost as tough to cast as Tom. A make up enhanced Jonah Hill could make a decent physical match, and it would be interesting to see how he does in a dramatic role. Hill tends to be the popular choice amongst fans, but the fact is that there may not be an actor working at the moment who could fill this part well enough - leaving it open for a talented newcomer.
Glen Bateman
An older survivor, sociologist Glen is an authoritative voice in the novel, providing insight into the situations the characters find themselves. Glen also provides some comic relief, with his exchanges with Stu providing some memorable dialogue. We would need to see an actor who is capable of great wit, as well as dispensing some weighty wisdom. John Lithgow could be a good nomination here, following his touching turn in Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes. Alternatively, in a similar vein to a dramatic Jonah Hill role for Harold Lauder, Larry David could perhaps be worth a go in a straight acting turn. An interesting part to cast, we would cast Lithgow here.
Nadine Cross
An enigmatic figure who beguiles the characters for most of the middle part of the book, our choice for Nadine would be Eva Green. She certainly has the look of a Nadine, and the woman who played Vesper Lynd could well be the actress to take the relatively small but central role of Nadine.
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