The McConaissance continues unabated: Matthew McConaughey, a front runner for the Best Actor Emmy after starring in HBO’s “True Detective,” is now being sought by Warner Bros. to star in their long-awaited theatrical adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand.
McConaughey would play the embodiment of pure evil, Randal Flagg, previously portrayed by actor Jamey Sheridan (“Homeland”) in the 1994 TV mini-series directed by Mick Garris (Sleepwalkers). The character of Randal Flagg also appears in several other Stephen King stories, including his acclaimed Dark Tower series. In The Stand, Flagg assembles a group of easily (or already) corrupted survivors after a plague wipes out nearly all of humanity.
Related: Kings of Horror: 31 Stephen King Movie Reviews (Video)
Deadline reports that despite Warner Bros.’ obvious interest in Matthew McConaughey – a recent Oscar winner and one of the most respected movie stars in Hollywood (after a long and shirtless career slump) – the actor has not officially signed on for the project. As one of the most in-demand actors in Hollywood, Matthew McConaughey is in the enviable position of being able to choose his own projects at the moment, and may decide to star in the new Stephen Gaghan drama Gold, about a 1993 mining scandal, instead.
The new feature film version of The Stand has gone through many directors over the past few years, including David Yates (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) and Ben Affleck (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), before finally settling on relative newcomer Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars), whose next film is also a Stephen King adaptation: Lisey’s Story, about the widow of a best-selling author who delves into her husband’s secret life.
Let’s be honest here: Matthew McConaughey is the perfect casting for Randal Flagg. Although we here at CraveOnline remain skeptical about whether a new adaptation of The Stand could do Stephen King’s works any favors, the right casting is a good place to start. If the script is worthwhile, we certainly hope he takes Warner Bros.’ offer seriously.
William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and the host of The B-Movies Podcast and The Blue Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
