This combination photo shows actor James Marsden at a screening of "Westworld" during the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival in New York on April 19, 2018, left, and actress Amber Heard at the Planned Parenthood of New York City spring gala benefit in New York on May 1, 2019. Marsden and Heard will star in the CBS All Access limited series "The Stand," based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel. (Photos by Brent N. Clarke, left, and Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) --
James Marsden and Amber Heard will star in "The Stand," a limited series based on the Stephen King novel.
CBS All Access said Thursday that King will write the final chapter of the drama, a coda not in his book about a plague-devastated world.
Marsden will play Stu, a factory worker facing an extraordinary situation. Heard's character is Nadine, who follows an evil being with supernatural powers.
Odessa Young and Henry Zaga also will be part of the cast, the streaming service said.
"The Stand" was adapted for a 1994 miniseries, which was written by King and included Gary Sinise and Ruby Dee in the cast.
The premiere date and other stars of CBS All Access' "The Stand" have yet to be announced.
Television producer Mark Burnett, left, looks on as President Donald Trump arrives for the National Prayer Breakfast, Feb. 2, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Mark Burnett, the power producer who helped reintroduce Donald Trump to a national television audience with "The Apprentice," is being tapped by the president-elect as special envoy to the United Kingdom in his upcoming administration.
"With a distinguished career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role," Trump announced Saturday.
Burnett, who was born in London, helped produce hits like "Survivor" and "The Voice," but is perhaps best known for teaming up with Trump for "The Apprentice," which first aired on NBC in 2004.
Trump had been well-known in real estate and pop culture circles for decades. But the show helped again make him a household name — though Trump severed ties with NBC in 2015, the same year he launched his first White House run.
The selection of Burnett continues Trump's trend of filling out his incoming administration with people who have high-profile backgrounds in television or politics, or both — including his choice to be defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, a former co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekend," and ex-television doctor and unsuccessful Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, Mehmet Oz.
Trump's first campaign in 2016 was rocked by allegations about his conduct on "The Apprentice" and other appearances during his association with NBC, notably in footage in which he said he could sexually assault women and get away with it because he was a "star."
Almost a decade after he left his reality TV role, Trump's television career remains central to his biography and political rise. The show presented Trump Tower to tens of millions of people as a symbol of power and success before Trump launched his first... Read More
