When Argo debuted, I held considerable hope that Ben Affleck would finally, after all this time, get down to that multi-part adaptation of The Stand some of us have wanted. Plans were a little discombobulated when he signed for a return to Dennis Lehane country — especially since it appeared to be a more manageable effort than whatever Stephen King would be laying down — but no matter! As far as we know, nothing has technically changed.

He gave an update which, essentially, says the same thing while talking to GQ, dropping the note that, “Right now we’re having a very hard time.” (In this case, “we’re” would be a reference to he, Affleck, and screenwriter David Kajganich.) You already know their big trouble: trying to fit a long, hard-to-pare book into some sort of manageable feature form, and that’s even with a few movies at their disposal. Remind you of another project? Well, I definitely think it makes the (common) “American Tolkien” comparison all the more befitting.

All that out of the way, however, Affleck already sounds to have The Stand‘s dramatic tether: how people use the apocalypse to give themselves another shot, both personally and on a large scale. It’s an idea that the ’90s miniseries didn’t really address — or, if it did, manage to address well — which is, itself, all well and good, but also leaves me wanting to see this thing even more. If something else must be done first, then, we might as well aim for Live By Night to turn out strong.

Have you been waiting for his take on The Stand?