After nearly six months of living in a pandemic-struck world, there is no upcoming project that seems more prescient than the upcoming CBS All-Access miniseries adaptation of The Stand – based on the beloved novel by Stephen King. As a result, there is a particular anticipation for it among fans... however, we have been forced to be patient while waiting for first-look footage. Well, folks, the wait is now over, as the first trailer for the show is now online and available to watch below:
While we fully expect that some details will be changed from the book to the show, The Stand is a story that begins with the end of the world – the apocalypse caused by a deadly flu virus commonly known as Captain Trips that breaks out of containment at a California army base and winds up infecting almost the whole world. When only a few thousand souls are left alive in America, they all begin to experience prophetic dreams, some coming from the light, and some coming from the dark. The last outposts of humanity are established in Boulder, Colorado (led by Whoopi Goldberg's Mother Abigail) and Las Vegas, Nevada (led by Alexander Skarsgard's Randall Flagg), and the large ensemble of characters make their way across the country to determine the future of life on Earth.
A few months back the internet was treated to the first official stills from The Stand, but not only is having footage a totally different ballgame, it also happens to reveal a number of characters who weren't previously shown. First up we have James Marsden as Stu Redman, shown here trying to escape a CDC research center:
Next there is Greg Kinnear as sociology professor Glen Bateman, who is seen here seemingly enjoying the lack of laws and restrictions on marijuana usage:
There is also a very brief glimpse of Henry Zaga as Nick Andros – who is shown by a piano, but more significantly is wearing an eyepatch, which is an element taken from the book that was not used in the 1994 miniseries where the character was played by Rob Lowe.
And lastly we have the the scary Julie Lawry, who is being brought to life by Katherine McNamara in The Stand miniseries, and is seen here firing a shotgun at a pair of people (presumably Henry Zaga's Nick Andros and Brad William Henke's Tom Cullen, provided that it's an adaptation of the scene that we think it is from the novel)
Unfortunately we're still left waiting for our first look at the new version of Donald Elbert a.k.a. The Trashcan Man, but perhaps that's an element best kept as a secret for the release of the show.
Clocking in at only 30 seconds, this preview is obviously only a super minor taste of what we can expect from The Stand miniseries in full, but our interest has most certainly be piqued, and we are already ravenous for more. Hopefully we will get another (preferably longer) trailer relatively soon, but until then you will be able to find us counting down the days until Thursday, December 17 when the show debuts exclusively on CBS All Access
