Good Idea or Bad? A Reboot of The Stand

Good Idea or Bad? Looking at various sci fi and fantasy television projects currently in the works and pondering whether they will fly or crash.

What Is It? A new mini-series is in the works based on the classic Stephen King novel The Stand. Previously adapted in 1994 mini-series (which counts as a sci fi TV classic), it takes place on a post-apocalyptic Earth where a virus has wiped out most of the human population (a scenario that feels all to real these days). Two sets of survivors receive visions in their dreams directing them to locations where they should meet. Those contacted by kindly Mother Abigail are summoned to Nebraska, while those contacted by the sinister Randall Flagg are directed to go to Las Vegas. Once they arrive at their respective destinations, they then prepare for a final stand; a battle between good and evil.

What Is in the Works? A new mini-series is being produced for CBS All Access which boasts a star-studded cast including James Marsden, Amber Heard, Greg Kinnear, Whoopi Goldberg, Marilyn Manson, and more. Stephen King is also writing a new chapter exclusively for the mini-series that will address what became of the survivors after the book’s finale. The mini-series will be ten episodes long, and production had been scheduled to begin this year, but it has been delayed by the shutdowns.

Good Idea or Bad? For me, I classify this upcoming mini-series under the heading of why bother? (rhetorically, though, because I know the real answer is money).  The 1994 series was an all-time classic with a stand-out cast that adhered closely to the book (though I never actually tackled the 823-page tome). Sure, the ending was somewhat disappointing, but my understanding is that the same is true for the book. The new mini-series will add an additional chapter, but it sounds like that will deliver more of a postscript to the tale, tracking how the survivors carry on after their final stand.

For the most part, this sounds like yet another attempt by a streaming service to put out a high-profile series based on a well-known property that will bring in new subscribers (hello Peacock and BSG). But there are so many other properties out there with potential and name-recognition (how about rebooting Gene Roddenberry’s failed-but-excellent pilots from the ’70’s) that it just seems like a travesty to remake something that was already done right (again, BSG). Sure, it will have the lavish production values that the streaming services bestow on their originals these days, but the 1994 series had a pretty good budget itself. Ultimately, this likely came down to CBS owning the television rights (even though it originally aired on ABC) and deciding to double-dip into the property to try and cash out again. My verdict is that this is a bad idea.

Notable Facts: The original mini-series consisted of four two-hour episodes that aired consecutively across four nights. It had an impressive cast that included Gary Sinise. Molly Ringwald, Jamey Sheridan, Rob Lowe, Laura San Giacomo, Miguel Ferrer, Ruby Dee, Ray Walston, Matt Frewer, and more. The total production cost was $28 million at the time which would be close to $50 million in current dollars, making it quite an expensive television entry for its day. It averaged 19 million viewers each night and was one of the top-rated shows when it initially aired. It has been released on DVD and Blu-ray, but it is not currently streaming on any of the major services.

Do you think that a reboot of The Stand is a good idea or bad?  Chime in with your thoughts in the comments or at r/SciFiTV.

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