Casting "The Stand"

Sort of an old argument, considering the movie is almost ten years old, but I’m still curious as to some of your answers.
Anyway–who would you have chosen for Randall Flagg?
My own choice would have been Michael Madsen.

Jack Nicholson. He’s too old to do it now but back when it was made, he woulda been good. Although probably too pricey.

What was wrong with Jamey Sheridan?

Funny, I always pictured Fran, a redhead, as Molly Ringwald, also a redhead. They cast Molly as Fran, great. Then they dye her hair black for the part!!! WTF?

Nothing was wrong with Sheridan; he did a damn fine job in the part, just different from the person I pictured in my head (I imagined a dark, short-haired man with a very alluring grin, capable of atrocities under the surface. Madsen fit that part for me perfectly.

I probably wouldn’t have cast Gary Sinise as Stu. When I read the book, I pictured him as a lot older (wasn’t he an old timer?).

I completely thought Alan Rickman could have played Flagg. Don’t know who I would have cast as Frannie, but definitely NOT Molly Ringwald!!

Actually Sheridan for some reason made me think of Jack Nicholson. A younger Jack would have made a really good Flagg, what with the evil and all.

I didn’t really like Molly Ringwald as Fran…I dunno, not my first choice.

And I agree that Stu should have been a bit older.

Although I really liked Nick- very cute, very sexy.

Well, with that, here’s my topics for casting:
indicates no change
Flagg: Michael Madsen
Stu: Gary Sinese

Mother Abagail: Ruby Dee*
Nadine: Laura San Giacomo (did an outstanding job; she was Nadine to a T)*
Larry: I think the man who played him did a fine job*, but I would have liked the character development that was in the book; he was my favorite character.
Lloyd: Jeremy Davies (Upham, in Saving Private Ryan)
Harold: Chris Penn
Nick: Rob Lowe*
Tom: Bill Fabberbackie* (sp?)
Ralph: (Can’t remember his name, no change)
Glen: No change*
Lucy: No change

What about yours?

Naw, he’s approx 36-38. Nick is 22 (Chapter 9, when he meets the sheriff) and Larry is 6-7 years older than Nick and 8-9 years younger than Stu (Chapter 50, right before the text from the Mass Meeting flyer).

I thought Nick was about 19-20, Larry was 23-24, and Stu was in his early 30s. I read the book for the first time a few months ago, but I may be mistaken about the ages.

I never saw the miniseries (although having read the book I’m looking forward to see it), but Sinise seems a good actor to play Stu.

I didn’t like Gary Sinise as Stu at first, but he definitely won me over. Still, if I had to cast it myself, I’d pick Billy-Bob Thornton.

Jamey Sheridan as Flagg was a disaster. Randall Flagg with a mullet? Uh uh. I see a Chris Walken type as Flagg.

Helen Hunt would have been my choice for Fran. She’s too old now, so maybe I’d cast her doppelganger–Leelee Sobieski. Molly Ringwald was so very wrong.

Steve Buscemi as the Trash Can Man.

I once saw an article in which Stephen King was asked about casting for the various movies and short stories of his that had been on the screen. This was at the time that The Stand was being shown.

King siad his only regret aboutseeing the stories on film was that once it was done it was hard to imagine anyone else in a role. For example, if one reads Gone With the Wind we see Clark Gable as Rhett Butler. King asked is anyone could see One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and not see Jack Nicholson in the role he played.

That being said, King said that he had always thought that Robert Duvall(at least as he was then) would make a “splendid” Randall Flagg. Me, I liked Ray Walston as Glenn.

Baker, that article was in the Prelude to the Uncut version of the Stand. Duvall seems a bit old for me now.

I could see an older Val Kilmer as Flagg

My only substantive complaint about the ABC miniseries of THE STAND was that Harold & Nadine were more caricatured villians & not the tragic fallen potential heroes they were in the book (the worst change being that the TV version had Lucy as the autistic boy Leo’s caretaker & not Nadine).

And wasn’t Harold supposed to be fat? He lost weight later in the book, but in the beginning he was fat.

LSG as Nadine was perfect. I pictured Fran with longer hair.

I thought Stu was older, but then as I read the book and he hooked up with Fran I realized he may have been in his mid 30s.

Another niggle about the movie…they never really explained that Fran was pregnant with Jess’s child. It was kind of implied that Harold was the father.

I wanted to see the Wolfman. That would have been wonderful, but I understand it didn’t move the story along, so I see why they left it out.