James Marsden, Amber Heard to Star in 'The Stand' at CBS All Access

CBS All Access has formally set the lead actors for its adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand.

James Marsden, Amber Heard, Odessa Young and Henry Zaga will take key roles in the 10-episode series. King is also set to write the last chapter, providing a coda to the series that is not found in the 1978 book.

Previously adapted for a 1994 ABC miniseries, The Stand tells the story of a world decimated by a plague and locked in an elemental struggle between good and evil. The fate of mankind rests on the frail shoulders of 108-year-old Mother Abigail and a handful of survivors. Their worst nightmares are embodied by a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the Dark Man.

Marsden (Dead to Me, Westworld), who's been linked to the project for some time, will play Stu Redman, an ordinary, working-class factory man in an extraordinary situation who becomes a leader of the survivors.

Heard (Aquaman, Her Smell) will portray Nadine Cross, a deeply conflicted woman who feels the consequences of her actions but is compelled by her allegiance to Randall.

Young (The Professor, A Million Little Pieces) will play Frannie Goldsmith, a pregnant young woman who recognizes there's evil lurking beyond the Dark Man. Zaga (13 Reasons Why, Trinkets) will portray Nick Andros, a deaf and mute young man who finds himself in a position of authority when the unthinkable happens.

Josh Boone, a longtime King fan who has been attached to the project since it was optioned as a feature film in 2014, is writing the CBS TV Studios series with Ben Cavell; Boone is also set to direct. The two will executive produce along with Roy Lee, Jimmy Miller and Richard P. Rubinstein. Will Weiske and Yiri Moon are co-EPs, and Knate Lee, Jill Killington and Owen King are producers.

The Stand will join a lineup of originals on CBS All Access that includes The Good Fight, The Twilight Zone, Star Trek: Discovery, Strange Angel, Tell Me a Story and No Activity, along with the upcoming Why Women Kill, Interrogation, Star Trek: Picard and the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks.

Source: www.hollywoodreporter.com