An anonymous reader writes: Stephen King's truly epic tale of American apocalypse will soon be a 3+ hour movie, in spite of the fact that the novel's depth and breadth rivals anything by Dickens, Dostoevsky or Tolkien. Divided into three clear sections, the blockbuster novel — later updated into an even lengthier version than its original 1980 publication — is a hard prospect for a trilogy, as the middle section is the least enticing cinematic prospect, despite being the emotional heart of the work. TV cannot afford the apocalypse of the violence, and movies don't have the time. This article argues that a faithful adaptation of 'The Stand' is unfilmable under the current economics of either movies or TV, despite one attempt in the mid-1990s. Some experiences are literary in nature, and this article argues that whatever third of the source novel ends up in the movie, the film can only ever be an elaborate 'trailer' for the book.
