Whoopi Goldberg, Alexander Skarsgard join Stephen King's The Stand
Goldberg will play Mother Abagail, while Skarsgard will be villain Randall Flagg in the new CBS All Access horror series.
The Stand was also published as a comic from 2008 to 2012 by Marvel.
If society breaks down due to an apocalyptic flu bug, perhaps the best people to have at your side will be Whoopi Goldberg and Alexander Skarsgard.
According to various reports, Goldberg and Skarsgard have signed on to join the cast of The Stand, based on author Stephen King's horror novel. It's being adapted for a new 10-episode series on the streaming service CBS All Access. (Disclosure: CBS is CNET's parent company.)
In The Stand, almost all of the world's population dies from a weaponized plague called Captain Trips. Society breaks down with help from an ageless supernatural evil being named Randall Flagg (played by Skarsgard) who encourages violence and destruction.
Skarsgard is best known for his roles in the TV shows True Blood and Big Little Lies, and the movies Mute and Hold the Dark.
Goldberg will play an elderly character named Mother Abagail who's the leader of the good guys. Goldberg made the announcement on her daytime talk show The View on Wednesday.
Actress Whoopi Goldberg is also known for playing the bartender Guinan on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Goldberg won an Oscar for her role in the movie Ghost, and starred in other hit movies such as The Color Purple, Sister Act and Jumpin' Jack Flash.
Other cast members for The Stand include James Marsden (Westworld), Amber Heard (Aquaman), Odessa Young (Assassination Nation), Henry Zaga (13 Reasons Why), Jovan Adepo (Overlord), Owen Teague (IT), Brad William Henke (Orange Is the New Black) and Daniel Sunjata (The Dark Knight Rises).
No premiere date has been announced yet for the series.
