For Stephen King fans, CBS All Access’ new limited series The Stand has big shoes to fill. Not only is the book beloved by readers as well as critically acclaimed — and even comes in two versions, the original 1978 version and an unabridged edition published in 1990 — but the novel was previously adapted into a well-received miniseries in 1994 that featured a cast of more than 125 speaking roles along with performances by Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, Rob Lowe, Jamey Sheridan, Laura San Giacomo, Ed Harris, and many more. And when it comes to those performances, Sinise’s Stu Redman was especially stand out, even earning the actor a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. For James Marsden, who takes on the Stu Redman role in this new series, it was important to do right by not only Sinise’s work, but King’s novel as well.
Speaking with ComicBook.com, Marsden said that stepping into the role was “tricky” but that this new series is telling the story for a new generation.
“Gary kind of knocked it out of the park with that, in the miniseries, and Mick Garris [director of the 1994 miniseries] did a great job with it, with much less time, right? They had just a few hours and we have nine. But it’s always tricky stepping into the shoes of someone else who’s done a really incredible job with the trail,” Marsden said. “I think that said, we’ve not updated it but we’re retelling this story for a new generation and a new audience. It’s just another interpretation of the book and so, obviously, I want to right by the character in the book and by Stephen King and Gary Sinise, everyone who’s been a part of an iteration of this in the past.”
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