Matthew McConaughey Wanted For Stephen King's 'The Stand' And Former Michael Mann Project 'Gold'

Matthew McConaughey The StandWith his reputation as a substantive actor revived, an Oscar in his rec room, Christopher Nolan‘s "Interstellar" on the way and Gus Van Sant‘s "Sea Of Trees" now filming, Matthew McConaughey is in the enviable position of having his pick of projects. Two very intriguing offers have now crossed his transom.

Warner Bros. are very keen to get their 3-hour, R-rated adaptation Stephen King‘s "The Stand" off the ground, and the studio wants McConaughey to take the key role of Randall Flagg, the evil sorcerer who unleashes mayhem after a plague wipes out most of the world’s population. While we’ll leave to it King fans to determine  McConaughey’s merits in the role, that his name has emerged as such makes us wonder if WB aren’t going to greenlight the Josh Boone directed effort unless they get a big name as as an anchor. 3-hour R-rated movies aren’t made often for a reason —they are expensive, and the limited audience means making them successful is a challenge— and the studio may want an A-list talent to entice moviegoers.

Meanwhile, McConaughey is also being courted for the long developing "Gold." Once attached to Michael Mann and then to Spike Lee, Stephen Gaghan ("Syriana") is now going to helm this project, a "Treasure Of The Sierra Madre"-esque tale based on the true story of the 1993 Bre-X Mineral Corporation scandal. Given how long this project has been developing, this too probably requires an A-list talent. For now, Gaghan will direct the pilot of AMC‘s "White City" —"a geopolitical drama following Western diplomats and journalists living in Afghanistan"— as he awaits word about McConaughey.

Which of these will the actor take? One? Both? Neither? [Deadline/The Wrap]