Warner Bros. Wants Ben Affleck to Direct The Stand

In a bit of a head scratcher, Warner Bros. has chosen Ben Affleck to write and direct their adaptation of Stephen King?s The Stand. The reason that this news is confusing is that just a couple months ago, it was reported that Warner Bros. was in negotiations with director David Yates to reunite with his Harry Potter scribe Steve Kloves for a multi-film adaptation of King?s novel. Deadline has the Affleck news, and their report has no mention of Yates. The Potter director was in high demand after helming the last four films in the beloved franchise, and it seemed as though he?d be tied up with The Stand for a few years before being able to take on any other projects. Now it looks as though Yates is free to choose another film as his follow-up. Hit the jump for more.

Affleck himself has been an in-demand director following his stellar one-two punch of Gone Baby Gone and The Town. He declined the Man of Steel gig, but one presumes that The Stand will be a fairly ambitious undertaking. No word on whether his version will span multiple films, though I would imagine that Warner Bros. would be keen on that idea for monetary reasons. I?m a big fan of Affleck?s other two directorial outings, so I?m anxious to see how he?ll tackle such a big adaptation. However, Affleck has yet to formally sign onto the gig, so it?s possible that he could end up not directing the pic. He?s currently filming the political/period drama Argo.

Here?s the synopsis for Stephen King?s The Stand:

This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death.

And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides ? or are chosen. A world in which good rides on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abigail ? and the worst nightmares of evil are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the dark man.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1923815/news/1923815/

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