The long saga of trying to make a movie out of Stephen King’s The Stand continues with the news that Ben Affleck has dropped out of the director’s seat. Warner isn’t dropping the film though, as Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart) is already in early talks to take the helm, according to THR.
Affleck is out due to his commitment to starring in Gone Girl and yesterday’s news that he is playing Batman in Man of Steel 2. Warner Bros. and CBS Films had to move fast to find a replacement, as they have a limited window in which they can make the adaptation before losing the rights.
The story is set in a post-apocalyptic Earth after a synthetic plague wipes out most of humanity. It followd a group of survivors fighting the nefarious Randall Flagg. The novel was originally released in 1978, but the author re-released it in 1990, revising and adding portions to the story. David Kajganich (The Invasion) is writing the screenplay adaptation.
The Stand did previously become a two-part TV mini-series in 1994, but this will be the first time it’s come to the big screen.