'The Stand' TV Series Casts Marilyn Manson In Mystery Part, Will See Him Contribute A Song To The Soundtrack

Several potential cast members for the new CBS All Access adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand were revealed last month, and now an unexpected name has joined their ranks: Marilyn Manson. Yes, that Marilyn Manson, the Antichrist Superstar himself. It's not clear how big a part Manson will play (is he one of the leads, or just turning up for a quick cameo?), but the shock rocker confirmed his acting involvement, and revealed he recorded a song for the show, too.

During an interview with Revolver, Marilyn Manson casually confirmed he has a part in the new CBS All Access adaptation of The Stand. "Shooter [Jennings] and I also did a cover of 'The End' by the Doors, for a new miniseries of The Stand by Stephen King, which I'm also going to be acting in." Once you get over the groan-inducing reveal that a show about the apocalypse is going to use "The End" on its soundtrack, you can't help but wonder: who the hell is Marilyn Manson playing?

Manson is no stranger to acting. He had a role on the outlaw biker show Sons of Anarchy (a show which, coincidentally enough, also had a cameo appearance from Stephen King). He also acted on the TV series Salem, and the indie film Let Me Make You a Martyr. You can catch him later this year in The New Pope, the second season of HBO's The Young Pope.

There are plenty of characters in The Stand, and some would fit Manson quite well, particularly pyromaniac Donald Elbert, aka the Trashcan Man. King's book also features a professional musician character named Larry Underwood. Then again, King's novel modeled Larry on Bruce Springsteen, so it might be a bit weird to see Marilyn Manson in that part.

There's also a very good chance Manson has little more than a quick cameo as some poor random schmuck who gets wiped out by the superflu that kills 99% of the world's population. Manson joins a cast that likely includes James Marsden, Amber Heard, Whoopi Goldberg, and Greg Kinnear, making The Stand one of the weirdest ensembles in recent memory.

Josh Boone is directing the series, as well as writing it with Ben Cavel. Boone has been involved with the project for some time now. He was originally hoping to make several feature film adaptations, but eventually ended up at CBS All Access. The series is expected to arrive on CBS All Access in 2020.