The Stand Film Has A Different Ending From The Book

Bad Ass Digest reports that the upcoming, three-hour, R-rated film adaptation of author Stephen King's "The Stand" will have a VERY different final act from the tome.

The 1152-page novel, first published in 1978 and then revised in 1990, is divided into three parts and begins with a pandemic that leads to the death of an estimated 99.4% of the world’s human population. The book chronicles the cross-country odysseys undertaken by survivors who are drawn to Boulder, Colo., and Las Vegas, where they end up fighting the Antichrist-like Randall Flagg.

Looking at an earlier draft of the script, they describe the new ending as follows:

"In this version, from last year, the good guy survivors from Boulder get together in an army and march on Las Vegas to kill Randall Flagg. Flagg's headquarters is, of course, the Luxor Pyramid. The Boulderites invade the city while, off to the east, a squad fights at the Boulder Dam - which Trashcan Man explodes, killing Larry Underwood and sending a deadly flood to Vegas. In the city Flagg squares off against hero Stu Redman... who now has the power of God, and they have an Akira-like battle on the Las Vegas Strip, with Flagg trying to take Stu's magic. Cars are thrown, Excalbur's turrets are tossed, the people of Vegas are used by Flagg as disposable cannon-fodder. Meanwhile Nick Andros sacrifices his life taking out a howitzer. The Boulder forces, while armed, try to only take prisoners and rescue people from being under Flagg's evil spell. It all comes down to Flagg and Stu, and whether or not Stu will absorb Flagg's evil magic."

That coda is decidedly different from the 'Hand of God' sequence in the novel which was depicted in the six-hour mini-series adaptation in 1994.

 Matthew McConaughey is wanted to play Flagg...Nothing official on that though. 

"The Fault in Our Stars", director Josh Boone is the latest to hover around the project after the departure of "Crazy Heart" and "Out Of The Furnace" director Scott Cooper. Cooper vacated the job over "creative differences," after conning on to re-write "The Invasion" and "Blood Creek" scribe David Kajganich's draft--and direct the project earlier this year after Ben Affleck dropped out. Kajganich has also worked on the screenplay for the long thought of-feature film adaptation of King's It. David Yates and Steve Kloves, who worked on the Potter series together attached to the project. Paul Greengrass was even rumored in the mix at one point to put the story on film.

Boone told THR recently that he's writing a part specifically for "Stars" co-star Nat Wolff, making this the third project the duo will have worked on together following "Stars" and the upcoming film adaptation of author John Green's book "Paper Towns" 

Jimmy Miller and Roy Lee are still slated to produce.