Some of you may remember last September when we told you that Star Trek: The Next Generation actor Whoopi Goldberg joined the cast of The Stand, the latest limited series adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name. At the time, there was no premiere date for the series, but this week CBS All Access announced that The Stand will premiere on the streaming platform on December 17th, 2020.

The Stand is Stephen King’s apocalyptic vision of a world decimated by plague and embroiled in an elemental struggle between good and evil. The fate of mankind rests on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abagail, played by Whoopi Goldberg, and a handful of survivors. Their worst nightmares are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: The Dark Man, Randall Flagg, played by Alexander Skarsgård.

The limited series production of Stephen King’s classic novel will even include a new coda, a narrative epilogue, written by King - something the author has wanted to add to the story for years.

Showrunner and executive producer Benjamin Cavell noted the immense responsibility in taking on the project. “During the two years we spent making The Stand, we all felt the responsibility of adapting what may be the most beloved work of one of the world’s most beloved storytellers,” Cavell said. “But none of us could have imagined that Stephen King’s 40-year-old masterpiece about a global pandemic would come to be so eerily relevant.”

Along with Goldberg and Skarsgård, The Stand will feature James Marsden, Jovan Adepo, Odessa Young, Owen Teague, Amber Heard and Brad William Henke, who has his own connection to the Star Trek franchise. Henke played the uncredited role of Uncle Frank in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek (2009).

The Stand will air as a 9-episode limited series on CBS All Access, beginning on Thursday, December 17th, 2020, and running through February of next year.