'The Stand': Meet Amber Heard, James Marsden, Alexander Skarsgård and the rest of the cast of Stephen King adaptation
CBS’s ‘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 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.
Flagg has appeared in at least nine of King’s novels. Described as "an accomplished sorcerer and a devoted servant of the Outer Dark," he has supernatural abilities involving necromancy, prophecy, and influence over animals and humans. Flagg first appeared in King's 1978 novel ‘The Stand’ as a demonic figure who wreaks havoc after a plague kills most of the population. The last few years have seen several adaptations of Stephen King on television. This one too promises to be great as well. So, let’s take a look at the star cast:
James Marsden as Stu Redman
The 47-year-old American actor, singer, and former model gained prominence in the early 2000s with his portrayal of Scott Summers/Cyclops in the ‘X-Men’ film series (2000–2014). He also starred in ‘Superman Returns’, ‘The Notebook’, ‘10th & Wolf’, ‘The Alibi’, ‘Enchanted’, ‘Hop’, ‘27 Dresses’, ‘The Best of Me’, and ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’. Marsden received critical acclaim for his roles as Teddy Flood in the HBO science fiction series ‘Westworld’. His other TV roles include ‘Dead To Me’, ‘Mrs. America’, and more.
Amber Heard as Nadine Cross
The 34-year-old American actor made her film debut in a minor supporting role in the sports drama ‘Friday Night Lights’. Her first leading role was in the horror film ‘All the Boys Love Mandy Lane’, followed by The CW television series ‘Hidden Palms’. Her more notable performances include ‘Never Back Down’, ‘Pineapple Express’, ‘The Informers’, ‘The Stepfather’, ‘Zombieland’, ‘The Joneses’, ‘Drive Angry’, ‘The Rum Diary’, ‘3 Days to Kill’, ‘Magic Mike XXL’, and ‘The Danish Girl’.
Greg Kinnear as Glen Bateman
The 57-year-old American actor, producer, and television personality is best known for films like ‘As Good as It Gets’, ‘Sabrina’, ‘You've Got Mail’, ‘Nurse Betty’, ‘Someone like You’, ‘We Were Soldiers’, ‘Auto Focus’, ‘Stuck on You’, ‘Robots’, ‘Little Miss Sunshine’, ‘Invincible’, ‘Green Zone’, ‘The Last Song’, ‘Heaven Is for Real’, and ‘Misbehaviour’. On television, his roles include ‘Friends’, ‘Talk Soup’, ‘The Kennedys’, ‘Modern Family’, ‘House of Cards’, and ‘Rake’.
Whoopi Goldberg as Mother Abagail
The 65-year-old American actor, comedian, author, and television personality barely needs an introduction. Goldberg is one of only 16 entertainers to have won an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Academy Award, and a Tony Award. She has been a host of the daytime talk show ‘The View’ since 2007. On the silver screen, she is perhaps best known for her roles in titles such as ‘Sister Act’, ‘Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit’, ‘For Colored Girls’, ‘How Stella Got Her Groove Back’, and ‘Ghosts of Mississippi’.
Alexander Skarsgård as Randall Flagg
The 44-year-old Swedish actor, the son of actor Stellan Skarsgård, is best known for his roles as Brad ‘Iceman’ Colbert in the miniseries ‘Generation Kill’, Eric Northman in the television series ‘True Blood’, and Perry Wright in the television series ‘Big Little Lies’. He has also appeared in films such as ‘Melancholia’, ‘The Legend of Tarzan’, ‘The Kill Team’, ‘The Hummingbird Project’, ‘ The Aftermath’, and more.
Heather Graham as Rita Blakemoor
The 50-year-old American actor, director, and writer gained prominence in the late-’80s and early-’90s with her roles in ‘License to Drive’, ‘Drugstore Cowboy’, ‘Shout’, ‘Diggstown’, ‘Six Degrees of Separation’, and ‘Swingers’. On television, she was praised for ‘Twin Peaks’, and its prequel film ‘Fire Walk with Me’. Her other notable roles include ‘Boogie Nights’, ‘Bowfinger’, ‘Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me’, ‘Committed’, ‘Say It Isn't So’, ‘Mary’, ‘Gray Matters’, ‘The Hangover’, and more.
Ezra Miller as Trashcan Man
The 28-year-old American actor made their film debut with ‘Afterschool’. Miller’s notable performances include playing Kevin in ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’, Patrick in ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’. Daniel Culp in ‘The Stanford Prison Experiment’, and Credence Barebone in ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ and ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’. Miller also portrays Barry Allen/The Flash in the DC Extended Universe, beginning with a minor role in ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’, a cameo in ‘Suicide Squad’, and later as one of the leads in ‘Justice League’. Miller also reprised the role of Barry Allen on television in The CW's ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’.
The show also stars Hamish Linklater as Dr. Ellis, Odessa Young as Frannie Goldsmith, Henry Zaga as Nick Andros, Jovan Adepo as Larry Underwood, Owen Teague as Harold Lauder, Brad William Henke as Tom Cullen, Daniel Sunjata as Cobb, Nat Wolff as Lloyd Henreid, Gordon Cormier as Joe, Eion Bailey as Teddy Weizak, Katherine McNamara as Julie Lawry, Irene Bedard as Ray Brentner, Natalie Martinez as Dayna Jurgens, Fiona Dourif as Rat Woman, and Clifton Collins Jr. as Bobby Terry.
‘The Stand’ is set to be released on CBS All Access on December 17, 2020.
