2 l December
13 - 19, 2020
Northeast Oregon TV Weekly
CBS All Access takes ‘The Stand’
by remaking Stephen King saga
BY JAY BOBBIN
Many people clearly feel the chilling work of Stephen King is
worth revisiting.
Relatively soon after movie remakes of “It” and “Pet
Sematary,” the saga widely considered the iconic author’s
masterpiece is getting another screen run. The source of a 1994
miniseries, “The Stand” gets a fresh treatment that CBS All
Access begins streaming weekly on Thursday, Dec. 17. Whoopi
Goldberg heads a large ensemble cast as Mother Abagail, one
of the flu-pandemic survivors who band together to battle the
powerful, lethal “Dark Man” (Alexander Skarsgard) for the fate
of the world.
King has written a new coda for this version, part of the lure
for Greg Kinnear, who returns to television to play another of
those embroiled in an epic fight between forces of good and
evil. The “As Good As It Gets” Oscar nominee and former
“Talk Soup” and “Later” host recalls “The Stand” was the first
of many King works he’s read, making “an indelible impression
... dark, Gothic and unexpected. And it’s just a great adventure.
“I’ve thought often about why it’s stood the test of time,”
Kinnear reflects, “and why its legion of fans is as strong as
it is. I think there’s just a tone to that book that is very hard
to capture. It knows what it is, and it’s got some very clear
through lines and interesting assessments of good vs. evil. I
never thought I would end up in a filmed version of it, but it’s
a great thrill.”
Greg Kinnear and James Marsden
star in “The Stand,” premiering
Thursday on CBS All Access.
Partially directed by Josh Boone – with whom Kinnear
made the 2012 movie “Stuck in Love” – “The Stand” also
features James Marsden, Amber Heard, Odessa Young, Henry
Zaga, Owen Teague (“Bloodline”), Heather Graham, Hamish
Linklater (“Legion”), Katherine McNamara (“Shadowhunters”),
Daniel Sunjata, Natalie Martinez, (“Kingdom”) and Clifton
Collins Jr.
“I worked with just about everybody,” Kinnear notes, who
describes his “The Stand” character Glen Bateman as a “weed-
smoking, banjo-philosophy-spouting guy. In that character,
I think Stephen captured someone who’s searching, but who
also has this great skepticism. He’s at peace with the end of the
world, and that makes him kind of a romantic character. And
fun to play.”
Filming of “The Stand” was winding down in Vancouver as
the coronavirus pandemic was ramping up. “It wasn’t until I
was already home that the NBA started shutting down and all
the big moves started to happen,” Kinnear says, “but even prior
to that, I was reading a few little excerpts about this strange
thing in China. It wasn’t getting much attention, but it was out
there.
“I mean, what are the odds?,” Kinnear concludes. “Over
many years of working, I’ve made nothing about a pandemic
except when there was a pandemic.”
Contact us at:
541-663-6404
peaklifestylestudio.com
PeakLifestyleStudio@gmail.com
New Name.
Same Great Team.
Same Exceptional
Service.
Are your
FEET
FREE eBooks
and audiobooks
Thousands of titles
AVAILABLE DAILY
Noon to midnight
Ready for
the Holidays?
Travis T. Hampton, D.P.M.
Foot and Ankle Surgeon
541-963-0265
888-843-9090
Unlimited # of sessions at NO CHARGE!
It’s PRE-PAID with your taxes.
www.GVfoot.com
Access with
your Baker County Library Card
from www.bakerlib.org/kids-teens
Explore the ONLINE LIBRARY at www.bakerlib.org
541.523.6419
info@bakerlib.org
La Grande
1408 N Hall Street
Enterprise
601 Medical Parkway
Baker
3175 Pocahontas Rd.