Warner Bros is a studio that likes to keep their directors in house and free to do as they please. They’ve staked their reputation on filmmakers like the Wachowski siblings, Clint Eastwood, and Christopher Nolan. Naturally they’ve been trying to attract new blood lately, most recently they snared Matt Reeves to handle their Twilight Zone update. Now word has come down regarding their latest marriage of franchise and director.
Deadline reports that Ben Affleck is set to direct the studio’s adaptation of Stephen King’s massive book The Stand. First published in 1978 The Stand details the post-apocalyptic world where the final remnants of humanity must fight a supernatural evil that is hell-bent on world domination. It’s a huge tome, with layer upon layer and many describe it as King’s master work. The author himself is reluctant to the idea of a film adaptation.
This won’t stop Warners, of course, and with Affleck’s The Town showing a great ability to balance character and scope (read my review here) and making a huge impact on culture last year (a couple New York criminals actually took some tips from the flick for their heists), the studio wants to keep him in their business. I, for one, am pretty excited for this.
