Marilyn Manson To Appear In Adaptation Of Stephen King's The Stand

Hide your children, folks, 'cause the Antichrist Superstar is set to haunt a television near you next year.

Yes, that Antichrist Superstar — a.k.a. the shock-rocking diva of darkness Marilyn Manson — has confirmed he'll appear in the soon-to-shoot adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand. 

While it remains unclear just what role Manson will play in King's beloved post-apocalyptic nightmare, the infamous performer coyly dropped the news of his participation in the upcoming CBS All Access series while discussing future projects in a recent interview with Revolver. Per the same interview, Manson also confirmed he and frequent collaborator Shooter Jennings will contribute a cover version of The Door's iconic doom jam "The End" to the series' soundtrack.

The news of Manson's casting comes just a couple of weeks after CBS dangled some casting news of its own for the epic, 10-episode miniseries, confirming James Marsden, Whoopi Goldberg, Amber Heard, and Greg Kinnear will be fronting what is certain to be a large ensemble cast. CBS has also confirmed the series will be guided to small screen sometime next year by The Fault in Our Stars and The New Mutants scribe Josh Boone, which sadly raises the question as to whether or not The Stand will actually make it premiere before his long-gestating New Mutants film finally does.

For those of you unfamiliar with The Stand, the story follows survivors through an end-of-days scenario after a man-made plague wipes out 99 percent of humanity. It's a sprawling tale to be certain, unfolding through several converging narratives with dozens of characters. Even if we're stuck speculating which of those characters Manson will play for now, we do know that there's a certain religious zealot in King's story who seems particularly well-suited to the performer's penchant for brash, over-the-top theatricality; though we'd also have to admit that casting may be a little bit too on-the-nose.

Speculation aside, it's worth noting that this casting proves Manson — who will forever be known for his button-pushing antics throughout the '90s and '00s — is more than eager to continue his work on screens big and small. To date, the musician has racked up a surprising collection of acting credits, including memorable appearances in projects as varied as Lost Highway, Eastbound and Down, Sons of Anarchy, and Salem. If those credits aren't enough to quell any fear of Manson's acting ability, we'd also point out that his entire persona since coming of age in the '90s at least some air of performance art to it. So yeah, Manson's chops as a performer should not really be inquisition here. 

As for the series itself, we'll just have to wait and see what Boone and co. bring to the table. If nothing else, the sheer length of the show should allow them to take their time, and put together a more faithful adaptation than the compelling but frustratingly uneven adaptation CBS brought to air back in 1994. 

For now, the waiting game continues with The Stand, which will air on CBS's All Access streaming service sometime in 2020. So keep your eyes out for that one. And keep your ears open for Manson's and Jennings' cover of "The End," which, for the record, would be a perfect fit for the show's opening credit sequence.