Ask me what Stephen King book was the biggest disappointment and I will hands-down tell you it’s The Stand. This epic tale (or fail, depending on your point of view) consists of well over 1,000 pages and chronicles the world after a superflu nicknamed “Captain Tripps” decimates the population and leaves the remaining survivors in one of two groups. The “good” group is led by an old woman named Mother Abigail, the “bad” group led by none other than King’s “Man in Black” himself, Randall Flagg.

Flagg, aka the “Walkin’ Dude,” aka the “Man in Black,” has appeared in other King classics such as Insomnia (#5 on my all-time favorite list) and The Dark Tower series. He was also a notable character in the entertaining but less-than-classic Eyes of the Dragon.

The Stand meanders its way across thousands of pages in King’s classic wordy style, and weaves an epic tale of good vs. evil, yada yada. It becomes tiresome but you bargain with yourself and agree to see it through.

***SPOILER***

Then, just when you’re psyched for a huge blockbuster ending (because dammit, after more than 1,000 pages you’ve earned it), King saves the good guys from Flagg and Co. by having the hand of God come down and kill the bad guys. I’m not kidding.

That ending is by far King’s worst (and he’s not known for his endings). It was so bad, in fact, that it drops the book down on my rating scale somewhere around the level of Tommyknockers and my all-time anti-favorite, The Regulators.

But I admit the book is good fodder for a movie, and I just learned that someone is indeed looking to make it a full-length film. I’m surprised no one has attempted it until now (not counting the TV miniseries).

It might even be a good movie, because any King fan will tell you that King’s best movies are the ones that focus on people rather than monsters. Good examples of this include The Shawshank Redemption (based on the novella Rita Heyworth and the Shawshank Redemption), The Green Mile, Stand By Me (based on the novella The Body), Apt Pupil, etc. A notable exception to this is my #2 all-time favorite, Pet Semetary, where the movie could have been so much more. If I win the Powerball, I will remake Pet Semetary into what it could be.

Bad movies come from King books that are all about the monsters (It comes to mind quickly).

So when The Stand comes out as a movie, I will spend the $10 to see it.