While Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows â Part 2 brought the most successful film franchise in history to an end this summer, it appears that the two most influential creatives involved will be reuniting once more. Screenwriter Steve Kloves (who wrote every Harry Potter film except Order of the Phoenix) and director David Yates (who helmed the final four Potter films) are apparently teaming up to tackle a multi-film adaptation of Stephen Kingâs novel The Stand. Hit the jump for the details.HitFixâs Drew McWeeny reports that the Warner Bros. is in the process of finalizing the deals for Yates and Kloves to reunite on the adaptation. We reported last month that Yates was being courted for a number of high profile projects post-Potter, including Kingâs novel, and now it seems as if heâs made a decision.Iâve yet to read Kingâs novel myself, but Iâm a big fan of Yates and Kloves so sight-unseen Iâm inclined to regard this as good news. The post-apocalyptic horror novel details the events following a virus outbreak that kills 99% of the people on Earth.While we knew that The Stand was on Yatesâ radar, Klovesâ involvement is new information. The writer expertly adapted J.K Rowlingâs Harry Potter series into a beloved film franchise with equal parts heart, character and magic. Itâs definitely an exciting prospect to have Kloves putting his efforts towards decidedly darker and more adult fare.We reported back in January that Warner Bros. was looking to adapt Kingâs novel into multiple films, and word is that three is their magic number. Itâs no surprise that WB is keeping Yates in-house on his big post-Potter project, as they like to keep their big-name directors happy (Christopher Nolan, for example).The deals for Yates and Kloves have yet to be finalized, but Iâm hoping everything works out. Yatesâ Potter films were some of the best of the series, and he absolutely nailed the landing with Deathly Hallows â Part 2. While The Stand may be his first post-Potter effort, he recently told Steve that he planned on shooting a very small film sometime next year before he takes on his next big studio project, but it remains to be seen if WB will want to put The Stand on the fast-track (itâs probably safe to assume that they will, as theyâre on the look-out for their next franchise following the end of Potter).Hereâs the synopsis of Stephen Kingâs The Stand:
This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death.
And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides â or are chosen. A world in which good rides on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abigail â and the worst nightmares of evil are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the dark man.