Just a few months ago Oscar-nominated screenwriter Steve Kloves (Wonder Boys, the Harry Potter movies) was in talks to pen the big-screen adaptation of Stephen King‘s epic horror-fantasy novel The Stand for director David Yates.

Since then both Kloves and Yates have left the production and the director’s chair has been filled for the moment by actor-director Ben Affleck, on a career hot streak after the critical and commercial success of his 2010 crime drama The Town. Now Affleck has found his writer of choice for the project, and it is David Kajganich.

Before you ask “Who the hell is David Kajganich?”, allow me to tell you. Kajganich’s previous writing credits include The Invasion (the 2007 Invasion of the Body Snatchers riff that starred Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig and was subject to extensive re-editing and re-shoots before it opened) and Joel Schumacher’s indie horror flick Blood Creek featuring the new Superman Henry Cavill and rising superstar Michael Fassbender. He has also worked on an adaptation of another Stephen King novel, It, for Warner Brothers.

Turning King’s sprawling apocalyptic saga into a feature film(s) is a daunting task for any writer but it can done and maybe Kajganich is the gentleman who can do it. He’s got a first class director in his corner for sure.

[Source: Vulture]