Hey guys! Horrorella here...
Ben Affleck is a busy guy these days. We just learned that he will be donning the cape and cowl as Batman in the MAN OF STEEL sequel, he's got the lead role in David Fincher's GONE GIRL, and he will be writing and directing the adaptation Dennis Lehane‘s Live by Night. All doesn't leave him much time to direct a new adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand, as had originally been discussed.
So he is leaving the project, and according to THR, Warner Bros. is now in talks with Scott Cooper (CRAZY HEART, the upcoming OUT OF THE FURNACE) come on board to rewrite and direct the film. Affleck had initially planned to shoot the story two movies (a la LORD OF THE RINGS), but there is no word on whether that is still the plan.
I would think it would almost have to be. The Stand is a very long, very dense book, and trying to cram it all into a 120 minute runtime would leave everything feeling rushed and thin. There would almost be no point.
I have to admit, I'm a bit sad that Affleck will no longer be helming this project. The Stand is one of my all-time favorite books and I was really stoked to see what he would do with the material. Though, I am not dismayed to see Cooper taking the reins. I wasn't head-over-heels for CRAZY HEART when I saw it, but I am looking forward to OUT OF THE FURNACE, and from the trailer, he seems to know his way around dramatic tension.
What do you guys think?
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