The small-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s 1978 epic-length The Stand premieres this Thursday, Dec. 17–and several revealing photos were unveiled this week.
The nine-chapter series–airing on CBS All Access–will kick off with The End, an episode that will introduce fans to a world where a deadly epidemic is wreaking havoc across the globe, as reported by comicbook.com. Check out that episode’s sneak peek photos on this page.
The End, as described in the official synopsis, follows the devastating progress of the “Captain Trips” flu epidemic that has wiped out “99 percent of the population.” The remaining few immune to the disease–including Stu Redman, Frannie Goldsmith and Harold Lauder–“set out in search of other survivors while experiencing visions of the nurturing Mother Abigail and the menacing figure of Randall Flagg, the Dark Man.” Josh Boone directed this premiere, as well as the final episode.
While a pandemic is certainly a key element in The Stand, executive producers Benjamin Cavell and Taylor Elmore said the story is about so much more. “The fact is,” Cavell said, “the book’s not really about a pandemic. I mean, this book is about what comes after and this elemental struggle between good and evil. And that was going to be the story we were telling whether or not there was a pandemic in the real world.”
The cast of The Stand features Whoopi Goldberg as Mother Abigail, Alexander Skarsgard as Randall Flagg and Ezra Miller as The Trashcan Man. Other ensemble members include James Marsden, Odessa Young, Amber Heard, Owen Teague and Greg Kinnear.
Keep reading Horror News Network for any updates on The Stand on CBS All Access.
