While it's a little early to get too excited, it bodes well that Warner Brothers is partnering with CBS films to mount a theatrical version of Stephen King's apocalyptic opus The Stand.

King's saga of an America wiped out by a super-virus was a miniseries in 1994 of middling success. While Gary Sinese and Ruby Dee were fantastic, Molly Ringwald and Matt Frewer...not so much. It delivered a dynamite opening as all hell broke loose on an army base, but overall just felt too much like TV and has always cried out for a more adult rendering as a feature -- undoubtedly at least two films. Marvel comics has been doing a great adaptation of The Stand, taking their time and letting the massive story play out over several multi-issue series. It's a very faithful and wonderfully drawn version.

With end of the world stories entering a new era of popularity these days -- The Walking Dead, The Passage, Steven Soderbergh's Contagion -- it shouldn't be surprising that Hollywood is looking to find something huge with a built-in following.

No one is signed yet, so this is way down the road a piece, but as The Dark Tower also lives down that road, the future is looking very much like Stephen King country these days.