Ben Affleck to Direct The Stand?

Well, this news definitely comes as a surprise. We knew that Warner Bros. was planning on bringing Stephen King's The Stand to the big screen, but earlier reports mentioned that David Yates (Harry Potter) was in talks to direct the film. According to a new report, Ben Affleck has emerged as Warner's top choice to write and direct.

Warner Bros. has been happy with Affleck's work on both The Town and Gone Baby Gone, and they must feel confident that he can handle a film with the scope and budget of The Stand. It was previously mentioned that the book would be broken up into multiple films, but we have no additional information at this time. We'll make sure to report back as soon as this news is official and Warner Bros. provides additional details on their plans for the film.

For those who haven't read the book or watched the miniseries, here is a brief plot synopsis: “The Stand is a story of good vs. evil after a virus wipes out most of the American population. While it features dozens of characters (such as the Trashcan Man and Mother Abigail) and overlapping story lines running over many years, the struggle boils down to a group of survivors fighting the Antichrist-like Randall Flagg.”