Doug Liman is set to direct The Stand, a theatrical adaptation of Stephen King’s New York Times bestseller for Paramount Pictures, Deadline has confirmed.
Liman will also produce alongside Tyler Thompson, with whom he previously worked on Tom Cruise starrer American Made. No word yet on who will adapt the screenplay.
One of King’s most iconic novels, published in 1978, The Stand is a post-apocalyptic horror epic that explores the battle between good and evil after a man-made plague wipes out much of the global population. The surviving humans are divided into two factions: one, led by the kind-hearted, moral Stu Redman, who gathers followers in the ruins of Boulder, Colorado; the other, led by the sinister Randall Flagg, a demonic figure who gathers his own army in Las Vegas.
Previously adapted as miniseries in 1994 and 2019 — for ABC, and CBS All Access, respectively — the book has also been eyed for a film adaptation many times over the years. The likes of George A. Romero and Ben Affleck have taken a stab at developing for the big screen, but no one has yet succeeded in getting a project to the finish line.
Known for his work on projects ranging from Swingers to The Bourne Identity to Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Liman is coming off of a Road House reimagining, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, which notched the biggest ever debut for a film on Prime Video. Currently, he’s also developing Deeper, a supernatural thriller on which he’s set to reteam with frequent collaborator Cruise.
Most recently seeing Neon release an adaptation of his short story The Monkey, helmed by Longlegs‘ Osgood Perkins, King has adaptations of his books The Long Walk and The Running Man coming up for release by Lionsgate and Paramount, respectively.
THR was first to the story on Liman’s latest.
