I've read The Stand a couple of times. May do so again. I generally agree with you that the book is better than anything they could do with a movie. Especially if they plan to cast the ugliest woman in America as Mother Abigail. However...the original movie, made for TV, with Gary Sinise is well worth watching. Great cast, IMHO, M-O-O-N...that spells great cast.
And BTW...I watched 'The Sum of All Fears' this weekend. Gawd! What an awful, awful adaptation of a great book! I was originally looking forward to the release until I heard that they replaced muslim terrorists as the bad guys with Neo-Nazis. I then and there vowed not to watch. But Q has made so many references to the book, and after the Nessun Dorma performance at the WH I decided to break my vow. Shouldn't have!
I was so into “The Stand” after reading it that I wrote a “trivia quiz” based on factoids from the book and sent Stephen King a copy. He sent a letter back saying thanks and that even HE didn’t know all the answers! Part of my obsession with it was the fact that Mother Abigail’s imaginary home in Nebraska was near where I grew up and I was living not far from Boulder CO at the time and drove around finding all the landmark places like the Sunrise Ampitheater, Chataqua Park, and others.
I remember watching the version with Gary Sinise, who does a great job in any role. That’s probably the best anyone will ever do, this new remake will most certainly not be on my must-see list!
I just remember Gary Sinise had pretty much the same costume the whole time but practically ever scene Molly Ringwald would pop up in a different highly stylish shoulder-padded 80s glamour costume like it was written into her contract, Miss Ringwald must be dressed in a manner befitting her A list status.