Stephen King’s post-apocalyptic horror classic The Stand is heading to the big screen as Warner Bros. and CBS films have joined forces to create a tentpole film based on the novel that was originally published in 1978.  King revised and expanded his “good vs. evil” saga about an America ravaged by a deadly flu virus known as "Captain Trips" that wipes out most of its population in a new edition in 1990. Recently Marvel Comics has been publishing a comic adaptation of the epic saga that features dozens of memorable sharply-drawn King characters such as Stuart Redman, Trashcan Man, Mother Abagail, Kojak, Larry Underwood and Randall Flagg.

 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, CBS has held the rights for years, but needed a partner for such a mammoth undertaking. Warners beat out Fox and Sony in a spirited bidding contest to partner with CBS in bringing the cult-hit novel to the screen. 

 

THR’s Heat Vision blog reports that King will “be involved in some capacity” in bringing The Stand to the screen. The studios and producers will meet soon to decide on key creative personnel (writer and director) as well as deciding whether to adapt the mammoth 823-page tome in one film or more likely, given today’s marketplace, multiple movies.