"The Fault in Our Stars" director Josh Boone is closing a deal to write and direct "The Stand," the long-gestating Stephen King adaptation, according to TheWrap.
"The Stand" has been in the works as a feature film since January 2011, first with "Harry Potter" director David Yates and screenwriter Steve Kloves at the helm. The duo bowed out, deeming the 1,152-page novel too long for a movie. Ben Affleck was then tapped to replace Yates, but he exited so the world could embrace him as Batman. Scott Cooper ("Crazy Heart," "Out of the Furnace") took over, but he sparred with Warner Bros. and CBS Films over the film's rating and subsequently abandoned the project. Boone, who also directed the 2012 independent dramedy "Stuck in Love," is now on board.
There was early talk of a trilogy, but TheWrap reports that Boone will direct "The Stand" as a singular film. The 1978 novel depicts an apocalyptic flu virus that's accidentally released at a U.S. Army base. Survivors must battle an Antichrist-like figure named Randall Flagg before he wipes out the rest of the population.
"The Stand" first made the rounds as a potential theatrical release in the 1980s, eventually reaching the small screen as a popular eight-hour ABC miniseries in 1994. The Emmy-winning project starred Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald and Rob Lowe.
The apocalyptic fantasy is one of numerous King adaptations in the works. "The Dark Tower" and "Mercy" are among the films on the horizon, while CBS' "Under the Dome" will return for a second season on June 30 and "Grand Central" is reportedly headed for ABC as a straight-to-series order this summer.
"The Stand" has been in the works as a feature film since January 2011, first with "Harry Potter" director David Yates and screenwriter Steve Kloves at the helm. The duo bowed out, deeming the 1,152-page novel too long for a movie. Ben Affleck was then tapped to replace Yates, but he exited so the world could embrace him as Batman. Scott Cooper ("Crazy Heart," "Out of the Furnace") took over, but he sparred with Warner Bros. and CBS Films over the film's rating and subsequently abandoned the project. Boone, who also directed the 2012 independent dramedy "Stuck in Love," is now on board.
There was early talk of a trilogy, but TheWrap reports that Boone will direct "The Stand" as a singular film. The 1978 novel depicts an apocalyptic flu virus that's accidentally released at a U.S. Army base. Survivors must battle an Antichrist-like figure named Randall Flagg before he wipes out the rest of the population.
"The Stand" first made the rounds as a potential theatrical release in the 1980s, eventually reaching the small screen as a popular eight-hour ABC miniseries in 1994. The Emmy-winning project starred Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald and Rob Lowe.
The apocalyptic fantasy is one of numerous King adaptations in the works. "The Dark Tower" and "Mercy" are among the films on the horizon, while CBS' "Under the Dome" will return for a second season on June 30 and "Grand Central" is reportedly headed for ABC as a straight-to-series order this summer.