Nat Wolff Cast in Stephen King's The Stand

Production on a new CBS All Access adaptation of The Stand is officially underway, with the production confirming that Nat Wolff has joined the cast as Lloyd Henreid, as revealed by Deadline. The novel is one of King's most beloved storylines, and also one of his most ambitious, as it blends elements of fantasy, horror, and drama to tell an exciting tale. The book was previously adapted into a miniseries back in the '90s, though the production value and network television censorship practices prevented the adaptation from fully embracing the intense nature of the source material. The new take on The Stand could be debuting as early as next year.

Wolff's character is described as "a petty criminal who becomes fiercely loyal to Randall Flagg, the Dark Man." The Dark Man will be played by Alexander Skarsgård. Wolff was previously seen in Stella's Last Weekend.

The actor joins the previously-announced James Marsden, Amber Heard, Odessa Young, Whoopi Goldberg, and Henry Zaga, with Josh Boone serving as the series' showrunner.

The Stand is Stephen King's apocalyptic vision of a world decimated by plague and embroiled in an elemental struggle between good and evil. The fate of mankind rests on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old other Mother Abagail and a handful of survivors. Their worst nightmares are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the Dark Man.

What makes this upcoming adaptation so exciting, in addition to the higher production value than the previous adaptation, is that King himself has scripted a new ending for the series which elaborates on the ending provided in the novel.

"Had it for years," King shared with The New York Times about the new ending. "I always wanted to find out what happened to Stu and Frannie when they went back."

In the original novel, Stu and Frannie have a child together, with the community nervous about whether or not the child can survive the superflu and prove that there's hope for humanity. Luckily, the child survives, yet Stu and Fran are left wondering if humanity can ultimately identify their failings and move forward as a species, concluding the journey on an ambiguous note.

An expanded version of the novel, billed as the "Complete and Uncut Edition," includes more details about our heroes, with Stu and Frannie heading to a small town in Maine. This edition also includes the tease that Randall Flagg survived the effects of an atomic bomb, with a new civilization worshipping him as a deity. It's unclear if the new adaptation will include that fate for Flagg.

Stay tuned for details on the upcoming adaptation of The Stand.

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