The Stand, based on the Stephen King novel about a world decimated by plague, begins on CBS All Access Dec. 17. The nine episodes will drop weekly on Thursdays. Whoopi Goldberg, Alexander Skarsgard, James Marsden and Odessa Young are in the cast.
“The fate of mankind rests on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abagail (Goldberg) and a handful of survivors,” said CBS All Access. “Their worst nightmares are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg (Skarsgård), the Dark Man.”
The Stand will close with a new coda written by King, who published the novel in 1978.
Benjamin Cavell is showrunner and executive producer.
“During the two years we spent making The Stand, we all felt the responsibility of adapting what may be the most beloved work of one of the world’s most beloved storytellers, but none of us could have imagined that Stephen King’s 40-year-old masterpiece about a global pandemic would come to be so eerily relevant,” said Cavell. “We’re honored to tell this sprawling, epic story, including a new coda that Stephen King has wanted to add for decades. We’re so proud of this show and its attempt to find meaning and hope in the most uncertain of times. We can’t wait to share it with the world.”
Several King books are being turned into television series, including Chapelwaite on Epix and The Outsider on HBO.
The series is produced by CBS Television Studios. Cavell executive produces alongside Taylor Elmore, Will Weiske, Jimmy Miller, Roy Lee and Richard P. Rubinstein. Josh Boone serves as director and an executive producer for the series premiere and final episode.
