Report: Josh Boone’s THE STAND Adaptation Is Now A Ten-Part Limited Series

Josh Boone is having a bit of a tough go of it while bringing the X-Men spin-off New Mutants to the screen (read a quick break down of the drama here). However, the Fault In Our Stars director also has some bigger fish to fry once that film is done (re)shooting. 

Over the long holiday weekend - amidst a full report that involves studio meddling and ratings woes - the Tracking Board buried a bit at the bottom of their scandalous exposé on the New Mutants fiasco that's brewing at Fox that made all of our eyebrows raise:

"...Boone has a full plate once he wraps New Mutants. He’s still attached to direct an adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand, which we hear is coming together as a ten-hour limited series at CBS All Access."

Hold the fucking phone, Mr. Sneider. You don't just drop some shit in there like that and not expect the King Nerds at BMD to go somewhat ballistic. For those who may have forgotten - as it's been some time since there's been any movement on this project - Boone's been working on this adaptation for years. Last April, Boone himself may have dropped onto a message board to break this news, saying:

"Hi, Josh Boone here. I happened to come across this and wanted to say that I never wrote a draft of The Stand with anything but the ending from the book. You are referring to a draft that preceded me, which I actively worked to ensure never got made because it was in no way an adaptation of the book, just fan fiction. I am still working on The Stand and will be making it next as soon as New Mutants opens in April as a limited series. I've been working on it for four years and I promise you it will be a faithful adaptation of the book with an incredible cast."

While we were midly incredulous at the time, maybe that actually was Josh Boone? Stranger things have happened, obviously (and creative types have definitely infiltrated the BMD comments before, albeit under assumed aliases). While the ten-part aspect of this new CBS All Access Limited Series may seem extreme, do remember that Boone's original plan was to make his take on The Stand into four fucking movies. From 2014:  

"[Mick Garris'] TV miniseries version clocks in at six hours, once all the commercials are cut out. Many of us in the fan world thought two movies, clocking in at around four or five hours, could do the deed. But all of that thinking is out the window, and The Stand has ballooned up to be not just a movie, not just a pair of movies, but a whole quartet of films.  Yes, The Stand will be four movies. Let's assume they're two hours a piece (but I bet they're longer) - that's eight solid hours of The Stand."

At the time this was written, the project was at Warner Bros., who budgeted the endeavor at $87 million (and even wanted that number increased). With the massive success of IT, and Chapter II still to come next year, King adaptations are now hot ticket items. It'd only make sense that The Stand - which many fans believe to be the author's crowning achievement* - would inspire another round of interest from studio execs. 

So, there's enough evidence here for us to believe this rumor to be true, though the question still remains: why CBS All Access? You'd think a major studio or network (say WB or HBO) would still be all over this, and not a fledgling premium streaming format (though this distribution method is obviously the future for most content). Maybe they've made Boone an offer too good regarding budget and creative freedom to refuse? 

We'll just have to wait for confirmation from both Boone and CBS. In the meantime, check out a casting wish list BMD put together in December of  '14, and start dreaming up who you'd put in these iconic King roles (Walton Goggins as the Trashcan Man or GTFO). 

*As a single novel, of course. The Dark Tower will always be the work that defines King's career.