Five Stephen King Adaptations That Need a Remake

The Stand – 1994

Cast – Gary Sinise (Stu Redman), Jamey Sheridan (Randall Flagg)

Ideal Remake Cast – Lee Pace (Redman), Matthew McConaughey (Flagg)

Keep This Line – “Baby, Do You Love Your Man?”

The miniseries was great, but it’s time a theatrical adaptation is made. The rumors have been circling for a few years now, but all they’ve been are rumors. King fans have been clamoring for this film as a giant epic, maybe something that would lead into a theatrical adaptation of The Dark Tower (We can dream, can’t we?)

Sinise and Sheridan were great in the roles of protagonist/antagonist respectively, but considering that the miniseries was released 21 years ago, it’s time for a reboot. Pace as Redman is ideal because for one, he’s from Chickasha, Oklahoma. Maybe I’m partial because I’m an alum of the university located in Chickasha, but anyone from Oklahoma knows that there is little to know difference between Oklahoma and Texas country boys. Pace could pull Redman off not only because he’s an excellent actor but because he’s familiar with the ways of rural Texas as well (Seriously, having grown up in Oklahoma as a Texan at birth, I can tell you the two are interchangeable).

McConaughey as King’s eponymous villain Flagg makes me giddy. Flagg is supposed to be good-looking, cheerful, and an absolute lunatic. We know of McConaughey’s status as sex symbol, so he’s got that beat. But viewers of Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation may remember how absolutely unhinged he was as the villain Vilmer, even if the movie was laughably terrible.

However, unlike Vilmer, Flagg is intelligent as well as brutally efficient as the ruler of Las Vegas. McConaughey could pull off a Flagg of King’s caliber, maybe even add a few nuances to the character at that. He’s gotten better as an actor of the years since his forgettable time as Vilmer, and he’s the best actor for the job as Flagg.