The Stand

For years it was planned to make this story into a theatrical film, directed by George A. Romero. Stephen King did many drafts to make it of a suitable length for a feature film, and when he couldn't get it short enough they considered breaking it into two separate films before finally letting Rospo Pallenberg write a draft. But before they could make it, King was offered the chance to make this mini-series for television.

When Nick and Tom first meet Ralph, they are headed in opposite directions, but going to the same place. Nick and Tom get into Ralph's truck and head back the way they came from, yet they are all allegedly headed to Nebraska.

The version most widely seen now on DVD and Blu-ray differs from the original TV broadcast and Worldvision home video release. Among numerous small changes to credits and transitions (for instance removing many of the fades to black for commercial), it also restores explicit footage to two scenes and adds a third altogether.

• The death of the Free Zone spy in Randall Flagg's office is more graphic, with Flagg picking up and tossing away the bloodied body; the original version instead cut to the lobby downstairs, where people look up uneasily upon hearing Flagg roar.
• Nadine and Flagg's "wedding night" is longer, with more reaction shots of Nadine and additional shots of Flagg unzipping his pants and positioning himself.
• A short scene has been added in which Flagg drives back to Las Vegas the next morning, with Nadine in the passenger seat.

Featured in The 46th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1994)