Review of The Stand mini-series

  • This message board permanently closed on June 30th, 2020 at 4PM EDT and is no longer accepting new members.

Tim D.

Well-Known Member
Jan 15, 2013
704
1,341
52
Kentucky
Good list Lily. Of course I am now inspired to make my own list. So here it is. Steve Buscemi strikes me as more of a trashcan man that Joaquin Phoenix. Plus I hate Joaquin Phoenix and wouldn't cast him in anything anyway.

Stu Redman - Matthew McConaughey
Fran Goldsmith - Evangeline Lily
Glen Bateman - Frank Langella
Harold Lauder - Justin Long
Nadine Cross - Sherri Moon Zombie
Larry Underwood -Josh Holloway
Randall Flagg - Robert Downey Jr.
Nick Andros - Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Tom Cullen -Rainn Wilson
Mother Abagail - Alfre Woodard
Trashcan Man - Steve Buscemi
Lloyd Henreid - John Glover
Ralph Brentner - Aiden Quinn
Dayna Jurgens - Michelle Williams
 
  • Like
Reactions: GNTLGNT and Neesy

Lily Sawyer

B-ReadAndWed
Jun 27, 2009
6,625
15,016
South Carolina
Good list Lily. Of course I am now inspired to make my own list. So here it is. Steve Buscemi strikes me as more of a trashcan man that Joaquin Phoenix. Plus I hate Joaquin Phoenix and wouldn't cast him in anything anyway.

Stu Redman - Matthew McConaughey
Fran Goldsmith - Evangeline Lily
Glen Bateman - Frank Langella
Harold Lauder - Justin Long
Nadine Cross - Sherri Moon Zombie
Larry Underwood -Josh Holloway
Randall Flagg - Robert Downey Jr.
Nick Andros - Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Tom Cullen -Rainn Wilson
Mother Abagail - Alfre Woodard
Trashcan Man - Steve Buscemi
Lloyd Henreid - John Glover
Ralph Brentner - Aiden Quinn
Dayna Jurgens - Michelle Williams

Great minds think alike!
-I had Steve Buscemi cast first as Trashie, with someone else as Lloyd. I also went back and forth about McConaughey vs. Jackman.
I'm pretty sure I'd want someone who can make an Ugly Duckling transformation as Harold: first as the fat guy with a bad case of acne (fat suit and make-up), and then later as the buffed-out, ripped Harold.
I do disagree with you about your choice for Nadine: Sherry Moon Zombie doesn't have the chops to pull it off. It needs to be someone with more of a menacing quality to her, too.
 

Tim D.

Well-Known Member
Jan 15, 2013
704
1,341
52
Kentucky
Great minds think alike!
-I had Steve Buscemi cast first as Trashie, with someone else as Lloyd. I also went back and forth about McConaughey vs. Jackman.
I'm pretty sure I'd want someone who can make an Ugly Duckling transformation as Harold: first as the fat guy with a bad case of acne (fat suit and make-up), and then later as the buffed-out, ripped Harold.
I do disagree with you about your choice for Nadine: Sherry Moon Zombie doesn't have the chops to pull it off. It needs to be someone with more of a menacing quality to her, too.

Then we shall forever disagree about Nadines. I think Lucy Liu's acting style is much too reserved for this part. I think Sherri Moon Zombie is better than most people give her credit for. She has a tragic quality about her that I like and when reading The Stand I mostly just felt pity for Nadine.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GNTLGNT and Neesy

OldDarth

Well-Known Member
Jul 10, 2006
730
2,994
Canada
Good list Lily. Of course I am now inspired to make my own list. So here it is. Steve Buscemi strikes me as more of a trashcan man that Joaquin Phoenix. Plus I hate Joaquin Phoenix and wouldn't cast him in anything anyway.

Stu Redman - Matthew McConaughey
Fran Goldsmith - Evangeline Lily
Glen Bateman - Frank Langella
Harold Lauder - Justin Long
Nadine Cross - Sherri Moon Zombie
Larry Underwood -Josh Holloway
Randall Flagg - Robert Downey Jr.
Nick Andros - Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Tom Cullen -Rainn Wilson
Mother Abagail - Alfre Woodard
Trashcan Man - Steve Buscemi
Lloyd Henreid - John Glover
Ralph Brentner - Aiden Quinn
Dayna Jurgens - Michelle Williams

That's a damn strong list. I would be fine if Mr. MaxHeadroom himself - Matt Frewer - reprised his Trashcan Man role. Downey is an interesting choice for Flagg but audiences might get the wrong comedic vibe about Flagg based on Downey's Ironman/Tony Stark persona. I could see several other possibilities there too like Tom Hiddleston or Mads Mikkelsen. I really like Justin Long as Lauder.

More people know Lily from The Hobbit rather than Lost.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GNTLGNT and Neesy

Tim D.

Well-Known Member
Jan 15, 2013
704
1,341
52
Kentucky
That's a damn strong list. I would be fine if Mr. MaxHeadroom himself - Matt Frewer - reprised his Trashcan Man role. Downey is an interesting choice for Flagg but audiences might get the wrong comedic vibe about Flagg based on Downey's Ironman/Tony Stark persona. I could see several other possibilities there too like Tom Hiddleston or Mads Mikkelsen. I really like Justin Long as Lauder.

More people know Lily from The Hobbit rather than Lost.

The thing I like about Flagg, with him sorta being the devil and all, is that he is open to so many interpretations. I chose Downey because he can be a smart a**, he can be serious, he can be mean and he is good looking without being too good looking. My
second choice for Flagg is Josh Brolin.
 

The Space Cowboy

play my music in the sun
Apr 21, 2014
310
772
My own list that I just thew together:

Stu Redman - Viggo Mortensen
Fran Goldsmith - Olivia Wilde
Glen Bateman - Malcolm McDowell
Harold Lauder - Jesse Eisenberg
Nadine Cross - Jennifer Connelly
Larry Underwood -James Franco
Randall Flagg - Tom Hardy
Nick Andros - Jared Leto
Tom Cullen - John C. Reilly
Mother Abagail - Nichelle Nichols
Trashcan Man - James Spader
Lloyd Henreid - Christoph Waltz
Ralph Brentner - John Goodman
Dayna Jurgens - Emma Stone

Can I just point out, however, that the ideal adaptation of The Stand (for me, anyway) would be cast full of complete unknowns. However, as I'm not so much of an acting aficionado that I can just pull a name out of thin air, this is a list made up of well known actors that I feel would be suitable matches for each respective character. I personally think Tom Hardy and James Spader were complete masterstrokes, but then I'm biased because I made the list.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GNTLGNT and Neesy

Mynxie

Well-Known Member
Aug 8, 2010
93
218
Merseyside, UK
Absolutely loved the book. The mini-series ?? Again, genius and the first thing I saw that pushed me into reading Stephens works. Have to say though, some of the casting was questionable (being polite there - seriously ... Ringwald ?? Someone made a bit of a booboo there .......)

As lily mentioned, if money was no object ? (I know some of my choices may be as equally diabolical as that of the mini series but .... hey ho lol )


Stu Redman - Sam Tremell
Fran Goldsmith - Melissa George
Glen Bateman - Lance Henriksen
Harold Lauder - Cillian Murphy
Nadine Cross - Sarah Jane Redmond
Larry Underwood - Jared Leto
Randall Flagg - Gary Oldman
Nick Andros - Ryan Kwanten
Tom Cullen - Ethan Suplee
Mother Abagail - ??
Trashcan Man - Brad Dourif
Lloyd Henreid - Steve Buscemi........ I like this suggestion, truly .....
Ralph Brentner - Chris Bauer
Dayna Jurgens - ???
 
  • Like
Reactions: GNTLGNT

mayday10

Well-Known Member
Jan 19, 2011
86
66
<<< Sheridan has that smile though. I think he is/was a great Flagg.

I thought they did an outstanding job with The Stand, if you consider at the time, not much was done with this kind of scope... didnt have the great TV series like TWD and BB yet, LoTR was not made by Peter Jackson yet, technology and budgets were limited, and network television did not allow any envelope-pushing. I actually think most of the casting was excellent.
Stu Redman though I agree was/is more of an imposing figure. I always pictured Stu Grimson
grimson.JPG


Anyways. I thought they held as close to the subject matter as possible and tried to highlight the most important events in an 8 hour span. That had to be a challenge with the book. You had a lot of character background info, character development pre-plague present time that had to be skimmed. Then all the sociological commentary detailed/narrated by the Glenn Bateman vehicle.

This Novel/story/epic needs proper treatment to give to the world. I would say optimally, a well funded/produced 20 1-hour episodes split into 2 seasons on HBO.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GNTLGNT

opundo

Active Member
Sep 25, 2011
38
87
Derry, Maine
Stephen King's sprawling post-apocalyptic soap opera becomes a TV mini series.

I use the expression because the story's vast cast of characters frequently involve us, the audience (or "constant reader", if you prefer), in their domestic affairs. But that's fine, because - as is often the case with King - every character has a part to play in a story which appears deceptively simple, but has more complexity to it than immediately meets the eye.

The TV miniseries format suits the size of the novel (400 previously excised pages were re-inserted in a revised and updated version), which tells the story of the few survivors of a super-flu plague grouping together into "goodies" and "baddies" enclaves, each of which has some sort of supernatural behind-the-scenes element, on the way to a potentially devastating confrontation.

Some of the casting is inspired, but some of it is massively wide of the mark: much as I like Gary Sinise, he is too lightweight and furtive to convince as Stu Redman. and Mother Abigail's portentous utterances of taking a "Stayund" provoked laughter in our house.

Worst of all - and, to be fair, it's not a big "worst" - is the fact that the miniseries trails off into low key anticlimax. In this, it is simply reflecting the book.
I always thought Kevin Costner was a better fit for Stu.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GNTLGNT

raspberry2012

Active Member
Jul 21, 2014
26
125
60
NYC
Some of the casting was off for me, but most of it was very appropriate.
I had someone more like Janine Turner in mind for Fran (she was pretty popular at the time the MOW was being filmed), but now it's obviously different.
If money were no object, no studio heads had the last say, and everyone was available for filming, I'd cast the following:

Stu Redman - Hugh Jackman
Fran Goldsmith - Jennifer Lawrence
Glen Bateman - Powers Boothe
Harold Lauder - Michael Cera
Nadine Cross - Lucy Liu
Larry Underwood - Charles Esten
Randall Flagg - Billy Bob Thornton
Nick Andros - Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Tom Cullen - Rainn Wilson
Mother Abagail - Alfre Woodard
Trashcan Man - Joaquin Phoenix
Lloyd Henreid - Steve Buscemi
Ralph Brentner - Aiden Quinn
Dayna Jurgens - Michelle Williams

I think this list is pretty much perfect, you did a fantastic job! I only have two changes, which would be Stu and Larry. Stu seems more "everyman" to me, and HJ is kind of the perfect guy. I think Gary Sinise was one of the more perfect bits of casting for the miniseries - he was one of the characters who was perfectly cast in my mind. If we want to go more recent - I dunno, maybe Colin Firth doing a TX accent.

Larry's a tougher one for me to cast in my mind - I don't see Charles Esten, but honestly, I don't know who I see. Maybe Christian Bale? He can pull off clean cut, he can pull off scraggly, he can pull off self-absorbed Larry, and then Larry who comes around to be a good leader later on. He could work for me as Larry...

Michael Cera is inspired as Harold! I had a lot of trouble casting Harold in my mind, and I hated Corin Nemic! But Michael Cera is brilliant - so sweet, so easy to see him as the shunned kid, the nervous nerd who only wants to impress the pretty girl. And I can also see him turning around and taking it out on the remaining people in his world.

I also LOVE the idea of JGL as Nick! Perfection, really!

Aside from those two "tweaks" for Larry and Stu, I love your list!
 
  • Like
Reactions: GNTLGNT

Lily Sawyer

B-ReadAndWed
Jun 27, 2009
6,625
15,016
South Carolina
I think this list is pretty much perfect, you did a fantastic job! I only have two changes, which would be Stu and Larry. Stu seems more "everyman" to me, and HJ is kind of the perfect guy. I think Gary Sinise was one of the more perfect bits of casting for the miniseries - he was one of the characters who was perfectly cast in my mind. If we want to go more recent - I dunno, maybe Colin Firth doing a TX accent.

Larry's a tougher one for me to cast in my mind - I don't see Charles Esten, but honestly, I don't know who I see. Maybe Christian Bale?

Thanks. -Christian Bale has a dark side to him that would be more in keeping for Harold Lauder...but he's too old for that part now. It needs to be someone who can actually sing - Larry has moments with his guitar, remember - and it doesn't have to be a young(er) guy.

Firth isn't right for Stu. He's not...Everyman enough. Another guy I thought of is Simon Baker, but he'd need to drop the flirty-charming routine and play an anti-hero type.
 

raspberry2012

Active Member
Jul 21, 2014
26
125
60
NYC
Thanks. -Christian Bale has a dark side to him that would be more in keeping for Harold Lauder...but he's too old for that part now. It needs to be someone who can actually sing - Larry has moments with his guitar, remember - and it doesn't have to be a young(er) guy.

Firth isn't right for Stu. He's not...Everyman enough. Another guy I thought of is Simon Baker, but he'd need to drop the flirty-charming routine and play an anti-hero type.

Good points about Bale and Firth. I think what's been bouncing around in my mind is, to me, Gary Sinise was perfect as Stu. When they cast him - after me trying for years to come up with the perfect actor - I thought, "YES! That's it - GS is ideal." So that's why I have the Stu Redman brain block.

I try not to think about "too young/too old" for a part, but I admit, that's a brick wall I run into all the time. Jennifer Lawrence is great for Frannie! My long time "fantasy casting" had originally been Sandra Bullock for Frannie, back when she was 20. I always thought of Larry as Kevin Bacon, also when he was 24-ish - and he can sing and play guitar! I try to update my list with every go around on The Stand, but I keep coming back to them. The good news is, I give up on Sandra Bullock! I think Jennifer Lawrence is the one! I give up on Stu - GS was perfect, so I'm not tampering with him anymore, LOL!
 
  • Like
Reactions: GNTLGNT