# The Old 'The Stand' Mini-series casting and a couple of observations **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [March 31, 2020, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717 "2020-03-31T04:04:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717/41 "2020-04-01T12:36:00Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > The [illustration from the book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Randallflagg7.jpg) shows Randall Flagg as white. And in the preface to the extended edition (the only one I’ve read, so I can’t really comment on how it compared to the abridged), he says he thought Robert Duvall would have been a good Flagg. (Presumably at the time the book was originally released…by the time the extended edition came out, Duvall would have been pushing 60, which doesn’t fit the Walkin’ Dude.) (On the other hand, The Stand apparently happened when he was attempting to write a novel about the Patty Hearst case, which got combined with Earth Abides when he wasn’t able to make progress on the original idea, and Donald Defreeze was a partial inspiration for Flagg. But by the time it was The Stand, the initial SLA inspiration was long gone, so…) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717/42 "2020-04-01T13:19:53Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Laura San Giancarlo was _abysmal_ as Nadine Cross, one of the worst “page to screen” characterizations ever. I can only assume that she read the novel, said “no way in hell am I being _that_ girl” (a mousy virgin) and completely rewrote her, thereby destroying the development arc of not just her character, but Larry Underwood’s. He was the “bad party boy” with the deep-rooted heart of gold, while Nadine was the “quiet pure one” whose inner heart led her to Flagg. LsG completely and utterly ruined this dynamic by making Nadine into a floozy party girl you would expect to see on PornTube 20 years later in the “Crack Whore Confessions” channel. Wasn’t she basically a composite character? She was Nadine Cross, but she was also the unstable middle-aged woman Larry hooked up with in New York, who eventually OD’ed in their tent (I think - it’s been a while since I read the book). I think they gave her the name from the former and the personality from the latter. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717/43 "2020-04-01T13:34:30Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > The [illustration from the book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Randallflagg7.jpg) shows Randall Flagg as white. That looks like Tim Roth. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717/44 "2020-04-01T13:41:00Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > That looks like Tim Roth. He looks more like Peter Stormare to me. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717/45 "2020-04-01T13:44:36Z")
I reread the relevant passages about the accident and it does read as it were the disease which killed the people in the base, but… “as it were”, because it was never directly stated. The disease is described as being “anti-mutagen” which, for King’s purposes, meant (and this is in the novel) as the body develops defenses against the virus, it switches its attack while in the host, wearing the victim down. But the descriptions of the scene in the novel made it appear that it happened both instantly _and_ with time to adjust - one person was face down in his soup (implying a death so quick he didn’t even notice others were dying), a couple decided to have one last quickie (implying they decided to fuck knowing the disease was going to overtake them…?) So, to the question of what killed the people in the base, the best evidence is Captain Trips killed them, which makes little sense, as it wasn’t strong enough to kill Campion instantly. Also, let’s go into something else I had an issue with… Campion drove from Mojave, CA along I-40 to Texas, getting increasingly ill and passing it through CA, AZ, and NM (which is never mentioned as being among the first locations of Captain Trips, even though they have to be - Campion was driving and needed gas and food, so he surely stopped and infected others. (Sorry, Albuquerque.)) King mentioned that Arnette is in West Texas, but King sucks at geography, especially Texas geography (waves hi to “11.23.63”), and his Arnette has to be closer to Lubbock and Amarillo in the panhandle, given his description of how the virus traveled from Arnette in chapter 8. And the Panhandle isn’t usually what’s meant by “West Texas”… that’s Abilene, Midland, El Paso, Fort Stockton and the vast areas in between… the Panhandle is the Panhandle. So… in that chapter (8) he has a NYC 87th precinct detective who drives his vacationing family from NYC to Orlando to go to Disneyworld, and then, on the return, end up near Amarillo, TX so he can do his part in the novel. Uh, what? Let’s take a look at that route, shall we? NYC - Orlando: 1,072 miles Orlando - Amarillo: 1,454 miles Amarillo - NYC: 1,707 miles Total mileage driving with the kids and wife in your [1978 Ford Country Squire Station Wagon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZl65jh2jRM): 4,233, or 76 hours @ the then-current 55mph. lol. Did this guy have a months vacation? Did he just want to sit on his ass and drive for 6-10 days? What’s happening here? ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717/46 "2020-04-01T14:32:57Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Campion drove from Mojave, CA along I-40 to Texas, getting increasingly ill and passing it through CA, AZ, and NM (which is never mentioned as being among the first locations of Captain Trips, even though they have to be - Campion was driving and needed gas and food, so he surely stopped and infected others. (Sorry, Albuquerque.)) > > King mentioned that Arnette is in West Texas, but King sucks at geography, especially Texas geography (waves hi to “11.23.63”), and his Arnette has to be closer to Lubbock and Amarillo in the panhandle, given his description of how the virus traveled from Arnette in chapter 8. And the Panhandle isn’t usually what’s meant by “West Texas”… that’s Abilene, Midland, El Paso, Fort Stockton and the vast areas in between… the Panhandle is the Panhandle. According to the Stephen King wiki… > [@](#): > > Arnette, Texas is a fictional small town in east Texas, north of Houston. …and in the text of the book, it states… > [@](#): > > Hapscomb’s Texaco sat on Number 93 just north of Arnette, a pissant four-street burg about 110 miles from Houston. Glen Bateman speaking… > [@](#): > > Now let me give you a hypothetical situation, Mr. Stuart Redman from East Texas. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717/47 "2020-04-01T15:18:31Z")
Ah. shit, you’re right. :smack: That’s still a 3,000 mile round trip - Houston (or a 110 mile radius from it) is still not a small side trip from Orlando. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717/48 "2020-04-01T15:40:19Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Ah. shit, you’re right. :smack: > > That’s still a 3,000 mile round trip - Houston (or a 110 mile radius from it) is still not a small side trip from Orlando. Maybe they had family to visit… and infect. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717/49 "2020-04-01T17:44:35Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I reread the relevant passages about the accident and it does read as it were the disease which killed the people in the base, but… “as it were”, because it was never directly stated. The disease is described as being “anti-mutagen” which, for King’s purposes, meant (and this is in the novel) as the body develops defenses against the virus, it switches its attack while in the host, wearing the victim down. But the descriptions of the scene in the novel made it appear that it happened both instantly _and_ with time to adjust - one person was face down in his soup (implying a death so quick he didn’t even notice others were dying), a couple decided to have one last quickie (implying they decided to fuck knowing the disease was going to overtake them…?) > > So, to the question of what killed the people in the base, the best evidence is Captain Trips killed them, which makes little sense, as it wasn’t strong enough to kill Campion instantly. > … Well, fictional lab-engineered viruses can do whatever they want, and Stephen King has never been a Michael Chrichton type when it comes to doing deep scientific/medical research for a story. But seeing as how the Coronavirus has such a wide spectrum of effects on people from causing no symptoms to death, it doesn’t seem too implausible that some people like Campion might have a longer burn for “Captain Trips” than others. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717/50 "2020-04-01T18:28:25Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Then, just as Dana is leaving the penthouse suite, he pulls a Colombo, and says, “But first, can you tell me…?” before going full-on Satan. > . That was one of the most moving scenes, because, when Flagg went bad, Dana made the instant decision to suicide. She knew if she didn’t she would tell him what he wanted to know, and she did it with (urk), the only means at hand. She gave her life to save the others. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717/51 "2020-04-02T06:51:24Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > So… in that chapter (8) he has a NYC 87th precinct detective who drives his vacationing family from NYC to Orlando to go to Disneyworld, and then, on the return, end up near Amarillo, TX so he can do his part in the novel. > > Uh, what? > > Let’s take a look at that route, shall we? > > NYC - Orlando: 1,072 miles > Orlando - Amarillo: 1,454 miles > Amarillo - NYC: 1,707 miles > > Total mileage driving with the kids and wife in your [1978 Ford Country Squire Station Wagon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZl65jh2jRM): 4,233, or 76 hours @ the then-current 55mph. > > lol. Did this guy have a months vacation? Did he just want to sit on his ass and drive for 6-10 days? What’s happening here? I don’t have the book handy, but I seem to recall the detective went to Disneyland in California, not Disney World in Florida. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOldKJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc79bd/32.png) [@GoodOldKJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOldKJ)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717/52 "2020-04-02T13:47:30Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > In the extended Dark Tower canon, Flagg is the son of Maerlyn and the Crimson King’s right hand, and is one of the most powerful wizards to have ever lived, so it makes sense that he’d be a master of illusion. > > That being said, I’ve always imagined that he felt most comfortable as a white guy with long wavy brown hair, dressed in denim, with a light Southern accent. It’s a shame that Matthew McConaughey didn’t get to play him in a _decent_ Dark Tower movie. Oh wow I didn’t know he was connected to Darktower! I guess I better stop putting off reading those. Thanks for the heads up! ---
**Author:** ![GoodOldKJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc79bd/32.png) [@GoodOldKJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOldKJ)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717/53 "2020-04-02T13:56:03Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I reread the relevant passages about the accident and it does read as it were the disease which killed the people in the base, but… “as it were”, because it was never directly stated. The disease is described as being “anti-mutagen” which, for King’s purposes, meant (and this is in the novel) as the body develops defenses against the virus, it switches its attack while in the host, wearing the victim down. But the descriptions of the scene in the novel made it appear that it happened both instantly _and_ with time to adjust - one person was face down in his soup (implying a death so quick he didn’t even notice others were dying), a couple decided to have one last quickie (implying they decided to fuck knowing the disease was going to overtake them…?) > > So, to the question of what killed the people in the base, the best evidence is Captain Trips killed them, which makes little sense, as it wasn’t strong enough to kill Campion instantly. > > Also, let’s go into something else I had an issue with… > > Campion drove from Mojave, CA along I-40 to Texas, getting increasingly ill and passing it through CA, AZ, and NM (which is never mentioned as being among the first locations of Captain Trips, even though they have to be - Campion was driving and needed gas and food, so he surely stopped and infected others. (Sorry, Albuquerque.)) > > King mentioned that Arnette is in West Texas, but King sucks at geography, especially Texas geography (waves hi to “11.23.63”), and his Arnette has to be closer to Lubbock and Amarillo in the panhandle, given his description of how the virus traveled from Arnette in chapter 8. And the Panhandle isn’t usually what’s meant by “West Texas”… that’s Abilene, Midland, El Paso, Fort Stockton and the vast areas in between… the Panhandle is the Panhandle. > > So… in that chapter (8) he has a NYC 87th precinct detective who drives his vacationing family from NYC to Orlando to go to Disneyworld, and then, on the return, end up near Amarillo, TX so he can do his part in the novel. > > Uh, what? > > Let’s take a look at that route, shall we? > > NYC - Orlando: 1,072 miles > Orlando - Amarillo: 1,454 miles > Amarillo - NYC: 1,707 miles > > Total mileage driving with the kids and wife in your [1978 Ford Country Squire Station Wagon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZl65jh2jRM): 4,233, or 76 hours @ the then-current 55mph. > > lol. Did this guy have a months vacation? Did he just want to sit on his ass and drive for 6-10 days? What’s happening here? He took the family to see the Grand Canyon. First real vacation they ever had. He is especially proud to prove his fellow detective wrong by actually enjoying travel with kids. Yeah I’m rereading it again ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717/54 "2020-04-02T14:41:41Z")
> [@GoodOldKJ](#): > > He took the family to see the Grand Canyon. First real vacation they ever had. He is especially proud to prove his fellow detective wrong by actually enjoying travel with kids. > > Yeah I’m rereading it again In the 1990 edition, the detective goes (for unexplained reasons) from Orlando to Texas on the way back to New York. The kids had been in seventh heaven at Disney World in Orlando, and not knowing the > [@](#): > > whole family would be dead by the second of July, Norris planned to tell that sour son of a bitch Steve Carella that it was possible to take your wife and kids someplace by car and have a good time. The only other destinations mentioned for the family are in Oklahoma and Kansas as they drove north out of Texas, eventually looking for a doctor. The Grand Canyon is never mentioned in the 1990 text. **JohnT** ’s critique still stands; this is a damned goofy itinerary for someone mentioned as going from New York to Orlando and then back. edit: I’m wondering if there are more discrepancies between the versions than just simple date and cultural references. My 1990 text also does not mention the make and model of the station wagon as so specifically called out up thread. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717/55 "2020-04-02T18:07:43Z")
> [@GoodOldKJ](#): > > He took the family to see the Grand Canyon. First real vacation they ever had. He is especially proud to prove his fellow detective wrong by actually enjoying travel with kids. > > Yeah I’m rereading it again And that fellow detective is Steve Carella from the 87th precinct. Were those references to the Ed McBain novels in the original version of The Stand, or added to the uncut re-issue? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717/56 "2020-04-02T20:16:43Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Jamey Sheridan played Flagg, … Now this is funny. I routinely watch L&O Criminal Intent, and the other day i was wondering what else Jamie Sheridan was in. I couldn’t think of a thing I’d seen him in. And then this thread comes along the next day. I guess there was something! The only actors I actually remember from The Stand were Sinese and Laura San. There’s six hours of my life I have no memory of. And Steven King has never looked at a map in his life. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2020, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717/57 "2020-04-04T01:47:38Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I do like the unabridged version King released later. As to that, I was bemused with the pink leather loincloth. Strange kind of detail. Think they’ll put that in the remake? ---
**Author:** ![Made\_in\_Macau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@Made\_in\_Macau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Made_in_Macau)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2020, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717/58 "2020-04-05T14:14:16Z")
I’ve looked at IMDB for info on this new production but all it says is 2020 release. I wonder if it is completed already and might be shelved due to a sensitivity to Covid 19. Or perhaps it’s not finished and shelved because of Covid 19. Any dopers have the straight dope? MiM ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2020, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717/59 "2020-04-05T20:34:50Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Don’t Dream its Over is used later in the series. > > On YT…the series is available. Funny enough, the five hour YT video, has NO music over the opening\*. I don’t know if that prevents him from being flagged (heh) or if he pulled it from a DVD that couldnt get the rights. > > Just letting you know in case you watch a video with no Blue Oyster Cult and feel like you’re going crazy. > > \*Which [surpisingly works!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e64sPHWnsY&t=2182s) Just silence while the camera pans over the bodies. This is the scene you were remembering where they play Don’t Dream it’s Over: [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1qJk4nzBIJg](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1qJk4nzBIJg) ---
**Author:** ![crywalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crywalt/32/3224_2.png) [@crywalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crywalt)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717/60 "2020-04-06T00:14:05Z")
> [@GoodOldKJ](#): > > Oh wow I didn’t know he was connected to Darktower! I guess I better stop putting off reading those. Thanks for the heads up! Virtually King’s entire corpus is connected, some parts in small ways, some in large. Eventually he folded almost everything into his Dark Tower universe. Back when I first started reading King with my friends in junior high, spotting the connections was a fun game. This was before everyone and their grandmother was building shared universes. King takes it to absurd extremes near the last couple of Dark Tower books, but he’s earned it by then. And so have his readers for making it through Wolves of the Calla, which is easily one of the worst books I’ve ever slogged through. And I love Stephen King. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-the-stand-mini-series-casting-and-a-couple-of-observations/850717.md?page=4)