Paramount may be planning a new movie based on Stephen King’sThe Stand, but one actor from the 2020 miniseries had a blunt response to the news. Based on King’s classic 1978 novel,the story was first adapted into a four-episode miniseries in 1994.
A later, nine-episode remake, featuring an all-star cast led by James Marsden and Alexander Skarsgård, was released on Paramount+ in December 2020 but received decidedly mixed reviews. More recently, it was announced thatThe Bourne Identitydirector Doug Liman had been attached to direct anew film version of The Standfor Paramount Pictures.
Following on fromThe Standmovie’s announcement, actorFiona Dourif, who played a gender-bent version of King’s Rat Man, named Rat Woman, in the 2020 miniseries, offered a blunt response to the news via X. Responding to aVarietystory about Liman’s appointment to the project,Dourif echoed the reactions expressed by many audiences, and simply responded with “Again?!?!” Check out her original post below:
What Fiona Dourif’s Reaction Means For The Stand Movie
The Rat Woman Is Not Alone In Being Confused By The New Reboot
Dourif is not alone in being perplexed at the decision to push forward with a newmovie adaptation ofThe Standso soon. Despite the 2020 miniseries failing to live up to the popularity of both the 1994 version and King’s original novel, the response to news of a new adaptation happening so soon came as a surprise to many fans and commentators.
While audiences are not unaccustomed toKing’s booksbeing rebooted multiple times, there was at least a 26-year gap between the first and second attempts at adaptingThe Stand,and many people have also suggested thatit is far too soon to reboot the property again.
What makes this decision even more perplexing is the effort that King himself placed into reworking the somewhatdivisive ending toThe Standfor a third time via the 2020 miniseries.
In addition to reworking the original 1978 book by adding over 400 additional pages for 1990’s “Complete and Uncut Edition,”King and his son Owen penned the final episode of the 2020 miniseries themselves, offering yet another variation on his original novel’s conclusion. With yet another remake on the horizon, audiences may begin questioning whether they may also find themselves presented with a fourth alternate ending.
Our Take On The Stand’s Movie Reboot
Stephen King Reboots Have Not Always Fared Well
While audiences are often eager to engage with a fresh take on King’s books, not every reboot has succeeded in recapturing their original appeal. Much like the 2020 version ofThe Standfailed to garner the same kind of positive response as the 1994 version, Max’s2024 reboot ofSalem’s Lotalso stumbled in its attempts to rework one of the author’s better-known properties.
Whether Liman will succeed in his own version ofThe Standremains to be seen, but for many, it is still far too soon.
