Matthew McConaughey Is Set To Join Stephen King’s The Stand In This Role

By Nick Venable | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

interstellarLove it or hate it, Interstellar is one of the biggest films of 2014, and it’s the first time Matthew McConaughey jumped into science fiction since 1997’s Contact. The Oscar-winning actor can be forgiven for allowing 15 years to go by before getting involved with another genre movie, but he’s reportedly getting involved with another massively ambitious project, as he’s set to star in the mega-adaptation of Stephen King’s magnum opus The Stand. I’d squeal in happiness, but there’s no telling when this movie is going to actually get made.

Now, there are a lot of characters in The Stand that McConaughey can play and viewers will be happy, but according to The Guardian, he’ll take on the role of big bad Randall Flagg, one of the most iconic villains in all of literature. Following the Captain Tripps plague that destroys the world’s population, Flagg (or The Dark Man, if you will) comes across as less a man and more of a timeless personification of evil as he establishes his Las Vegas headquarters and tries to sway the world’s survivors over to his side. It’s unclear just how deep into Flagg’s history and animal shape shifting the big screen adaptation will get to, but we’re pretty sure they’re going to cover a lot of it, considering how many movies it’ll be.

It was just a few days ago that director Josh Boone and Warner Bros. announced that instead of a single three-hour feature, The Stand is going to be split into four movies. (We’re sick of your odd-numbered shit, trilogies.) That should technically give the creative team all the room they need to tell the story of Mother Abagail’s attempts to save humanity and Trashcan Man’s attempts to scare me.

I know there are a lot of people out there who think McConaughey is an overhyped actor, but I think he’s one of the best in the business when he’s on top of things. With zero exceptions, the thespian has turned his career completely around in the last three years, bringing a tense gravitas to films like Killer Joe, Mud, and even Magic Mike, culminating in his award-winning performance as Rod Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club. (Not to mention his mind-bending role on True Detective.) It’s a little too easy picturing him walking around a dusty landscape while wearing jeans and cowboy boots. Are we all cool with Flagg having a mustache?

dallas buyers clubThe last time we got to see The Stand on a visual medium was for the 1994 ABC miniseries, which featured Jamey Sheridan in the Flagg role. I’m not gonna hate on that performance or anything, but I think we’re in for something far more exciting with McConaughey.