Stephen King Offers Thoughts About New Film Version Of 'The Stand'

Stephen King may no longer be writing a column for Entertainment Weekly, but the mag retains close ties with the author. (Or at least keeps his email address on file.) So when news of a new film version of The Stand hit earlier this week, the editors reached out to see what Mr. King has to say about the new version. His thoughts, after the break.

In short, the creator of The Stand still gives a 100% endorsement to the miniseries performance of Gary Sinise as protagonist Stu Redman, and I have to agree with that sentiment. The miniseries has a lot of shortcomings and a few unfortunate casting choices, but Gary Sinise definitely was not one of them.

He also doesn't have much faith that the new version will ever get made, and says he won't get paid if it does. Not sure I agree with the sentiment that Rutger Hauer is too old for The Walkin' Dude, at least if the remake goes into production soon. (OK, he probably is too old. Sigh.)

Here's the list from EW:

1. No one will be able to top Gary Sinise, who played Stu Redman in the original ABC miniseries. He was perfect. When he says "You don't know nothing" to the soldiers who are putting him under mandatory quarantine, you believe his contempt completely. My runner-up pick would be Jake Gyllenhaal.

2. I didn't know anything about the remake until I read about it on the Internet.

3. You absolutely can't make it as a two-hour movie. If it was a trilogy of films...maybe.

4. Molly Ringwald won't be playing Fran Goldsmith this time.

5. Rutger Hauer is a little too old to play the Walkin' Dude, and that's too bad.

6. People who've seen Kubrick's The Shining dislike the miniseries I wrote (and my amigo Mick Garris directed) even if they haven't seen it. That's always annoyed me. But the wheel of karma turns! This time people will probably say, "The miniseries was lots better." BUT...

7. ...historically speaking, movie studios blow the budget on things like this, so maybe it'll be fun to look at. The dough certainly isn't going to me, although if it is a trilogy, and if it makes a lot of money, I might be able to buy a chicken dinner at Popeye's. Great slaw!

8. Molly Ringwald will probably not play the Trashcan Man, either, but Billy Bob Thornton would be cool. Billy Bob's always cool.

9. They need to write in a lot of heavy-metal for the soundtrack.

10. M-O-O-N, that spells "you probably won't see this anytime soon." And when you do, Woody Allen won't be directing it. Or Molly Ringwald.