Readers, I love Stephen King. I know this isn’t all that surprising. Many readers out their adore Mr. King’s work, and really, what’s not to love about it? It digs deep at the pulp of our deepest fears and rips us to shreds. At times, it also brings us to tears. Stephen King is just…I mean, c’mon.

Anyway, the reason I bring up Stephen King today is “The Stand.” It’s just…I mean, c’mon. “The Stand” is considered by many to be the top tier of King’s work by which all other horror is compared. King describes the tome as being his Lord of the Rings, which is saying a lot. The book has been adapted before, as a 1994 miniseries directed by King regular Mick Garris and scripted by King himself. It was awesome, and while not standing the test of time as much as one might hope, it is still a strong entry is the Stephen King adaptation archives.

Recently, though, heavy talk has spread of a new adaptation of the book, this time for theatrical release. Several names have been passed around for possible direction including Ben Affleck (fresh off of Argo and pre-Batman announcement). Now it would seem as though Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) will be taking up the reigns. He was quoted as saying that his version will be gory, R-Rated, and long. 3 hours long. That’s good news considering the source material’s uncut edition runs upwards of 1100 pages. We’re talking Game of Thrones long here!

I personally love this news. I still think 3 hours would be smushing a lot of material in a crowded film, but I love the passion around this and cannot wait to hear more on the film as casting begins.

How do you feel about this news? Is this cool or could you give a rat’s ass? Let me know!