The virtual New York Comic Con is being held this weekend and, as part of it, CBS All Access put together a panel about its upcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand. The panel featured some of the stars of the show and included a brand new trailer, which has been posted above. Take a watch. This is the way the world ends.
I am once again struck by the scope of the limited series. The trailer above makes it crystal clear that CBS All Access pumped some money into this thing and spared little expense when it comes to locations and budget. The locales don’t look like a bunch of soundstages (apologies to Mick Garris) but rather real, live places. I am particularly fond of that shot of the four heroes traveling across a snowy landscape. Oh, and that image of Las Vegas with dead bodies strung up on crucifixes.
I am also happy to see the mini-series really nailing the central theme of The Stand: at its core, this is a story about good versus evil. It’s a tale of what happens when there are no rules, no society to tell you what’s right and wrong. What choices will you make when you have no laws or structure to reel you in? The trailer above really hammers that home, featuring a weary Mother Abagail stating that the world is a blank page now.
We see a bit more of the characters in the trailer, including Stu Redman being his classy, quiet leader and a few glimpse of Larry Underwood and Frannie as well. We also get just a wee bit more of Randall Flagg but I am starting to think we won’t hear a whole lot more from him until the series premieres.
Some more images from the show were also released today (below) as well as a new poster, which I think is just brilliant. In it, you see Flagg standing atop an abandoned RV with a little crow friend on his arm. I am drawn to the imagery of the cross made from telephone pole behind him. I am encouraged by this poster because it really highlights that this story is really King’s attempt at addressing and tackling the flaws and strengths of religion and faith. I have always felt that The Stand was King grappling with his own relationship with his Christianity. The story deals with the very good and very bad situations people get into when they ascribe to absolute belief in a power higher than themselves. I am really hopeful that the CBS All Access series dives into that idea a bit, just like the book did.
Between the new trailer, the new images and that fancy poster below, I am really, really excited by what we are seeing from The Stand. This is the must-see TV event of 2020, and I am not just saying that because I am a die-hard fan.
The Stand premieres on December 17.
