Mike Flanagan's Adaptation of Stephen King's 'The Dark Tower'

[Lighthouse]

It's dead.

Deadline Hollywood: Universal Won't Scale Stephen King's 'The Dark Tower;' Studio Declines To Make Ambitious Trilogy And TV Series

The moment has come for Universal Pictures to fish or cut bait on The Dark Tower, the ultra-ambitious adaptation of the Stephen King 7-novel series that was going to encompass a trilogy of feature films and two limited run TV series. The studio has said, No Thanks. Universal has passed on going forward with the project, dealing a huge blow in the plan for Ron Howard to direct Akiva Goldsman's script, with Brian Grazer, Goldsman and the autor producing and Javier Bardem starring as gunslinger Roland Deschain. Now, the filmmakers will have to find a new backer of what might well be the most ambitious movie project since Bob Shaye allowed Peter Jackson to shoot three installments of The Lord of the Rings back to back.

 

[Jordacar]

Suck

 

[TinkTonks]

^^ my feelings exactly......

 

[CrimsonDeath]

Akiva Goldsman's script???

Oh no, no, no, please God no. I love, love Stephen King's novels, been a fan for what, 16 years I think, much, much longer than that watching some of movies based on his work. And most them suck compared to the original, but of course there are some great, interesting adaptations that deserve the light of day. I don't think Akiva Goldsman could create something good like that out of the Dark Tower of all things. Ah, who knows what will happen.

 

[Paroxysm]

Well with the news that it's been brought back from the dead and is now heading to HBO, I ask this question: How is this going to work in conjunction with the film?

 

[Sawyer]

Deadline:

Warner Bros Has ‘Dark Tower’ Decision Looming: And Russell Crowe Is In The Mix
By MIKE FLEMING

EXCLUSIVE: I’m told that Warner Bros is getting a new script from Akiva Goldsman for the first installment of Stephen King’s mammoth Western The Dark Tower, and that within two weeks, the studio will be making a decision on whether to green light the first leg of one of the most daring and ambitious projects to come along since The Lord of the Rings. And here is a new wrinkle to add to the mix. Javier Bardem is no long in the mix as gunslinger Roland Deschain. I’m told that director Ron Howard and producers Brian Grazer and Goldsman have been talking with their A Beautiful Mind star Russell Crowe about playing Deschain. While there is no deal with Crowe, that is the star that Warner Bros will be evaluating as the studio decides on whether to take a leap on a nine-volume book that has a huge following, with Howard, King and their partners planning a multi-platform presentation that could be unforgettable. The story will be told through three films and two limited run TV series.

The Dark Tower is about the last living member of a knightly order of gunslingers, with Deschain becoming humanity’s last hope to save civilization as he hits the road to find the Dark Tower. Along the way, he encounters characters, good and bad, in a world that has an Old West feel. When I last wrote about this, Universal had dropped out and Warner Bros had sparked to the idea of taking on this franchise, possibly with HBO handling the TV component that would bridge the the first and second feature films, with another limited run TV series to follow. Given HBO’s adventurous forays into fantasy with Game of Thrones, it seems like the ideal venue.

If Crowe stepped up as the gunslinger, it would certainly help the project. He has clearly gotten back into the leading man game where he was when making films like Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind. Crowe played a big role of Jor-El in Warner Bros’s Man of Steel relaunch of the Superman franchise, and he is currently playing the title Biblical hero in the Darren Aronofsky-directed Noah for New Regency and Paramount. We’ll know soon if that regurgence takes him into an Old West fantasy, courtesy of what King has called his answer to JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

In a climate of fear and remakes–is Sony Pictures actually remaking Jumanji, a film that came out less than 20 years ago?–it would be grand to see Warner Bros have the stones to take the kind of daring risk that seems only to be taken by the likes of HBO, Showtime, AMC and other pay and cable networks. It’s that risk taking that has put those networks in a position of being at the center what will eventually be viewed as a golden age for daring quality TV series.

 

[:eek:]

The Dark Tower on Netflix?

Posted: May 3, 2013, 08:32:14
Section: Film » The Dark Tower

In an interview with Netflix’s Chief Content Office, Ted Sarandos, the question about The Dark Tower came up. No confirmation but not a denial either...

Arrested Development creator Ron Howard has also been circling Stephen King’s The Dark Tower – any chance Netflix could pick it up?

I spoke to Ron about it, actually. The last time we talked about it the thing was being kicked about HBO – but it’s no longer there. Once Arrested Development gets through we’ll keep talking about it.


What do you think? Can Netflix pull it off?

 

[Tequilla]

I dont know netflix budget restraints , but i never thought about Dark Tower (at least as i was reading it) as a big budget project.

I hope they make it a full tv show. The first , second and wizard and glass are fantastic books.

 

[:eek:]

Dark Tower TV Show Starts Filming This Summer?

Posted: January 23, 2018, 16:38:00
Section: TV » The Dark Tower​

Omega Underground reports that The Dark Tower TV show is set to start filming this summer in the UK and Ireland.
​

Now we at Omega Underground have learned that production is expected to begin sometime this summer in both Ireland and the United Kingdom. For obvious reasons expect a brand new cast for the proposed series. It should also be noted no network has yet to pick up the project.​

 

[Deck Rickard]

If this thing is still happening, I hope it ignores the movie completely and reboots everything.

 

[Thome216]

I never read the books, or Stephen King, but I watched the movie and thought it was really good.

So, if they follow along after the movie, I'll be fine with that. And if not, I'll give it a try anyway.

 

[Kaleb]

“The Dark Tower” TV Series Has Found a Home at Amazon

 

[Man in the Suit]

EXCLUSIVE: Amazon Prime's 'THE DARK TOWER' Series Sets Production Schedule - That Hashtag Show

Amazon Studios is set to move ahead with production on their adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower books. The series, which will be comprised of 13 one-hour episodes, will be executive produced by a team of huge names led by Glen Mazzara (The Walking Dead), Akiva Goldsman (Titans, Star Trek: Discovery) and King.

Amazon Studios has begun looking to assemble a cast ahead of a mid-April start of production in Croatia, where the series is expected to film until late-June. It appears that part of the delay may have been, in part, due to efforts to distance the series from the 2017 film adaptation which was received poorly by fans and critics. The series will of course focus on Roland Deschain, a young boy from a long line of “gunslingers”, and his “ka-tet” comprised of Cuthbert Allgood, Alain Johns, Ileen Ritter and Jamie De Curry in addition to his girlfriend, Susan Delgado. The studio is currently looking at actors and actresses, ages 16-18 for all the roles listed above.

Marten Broadcloak will serve as the series antagonist and his affair with Roland’s mother, Gabrielle, will factor heavily into the plot. Her affair incites Roland to pick up his guns in a search for Broadcloak and sets his father, Steven, on a mission to find him. At this time, no offers have been made to talent, but the cast should begin to assemble quickly.

Stay tuned to That Hashtag Show for more on this story as it develops.

 

[Inhuman117]

i think the Story in this will be much much much better explained as the ****ty Movie did , also the look in generall too

 

[Deck Rickard]

Well alright then. Looks like the first season will be a mix of the flashback scenes in The Gunslinger and Wizard and Glass (basically The Gunslinger Born series). Much better than that bull**** movie.

 

[Persona]

I'm a quarter of the way in my reading of the WOLVES OF THE CALLA. Thursday was my birthday and I brought home dinner for my fam; inexplicably, my 6-year old son was asking my wife how many more bites of dinner she was going to eat. He kept asking her "19? Are you going to eat 19 more bites?"

That was the same day this news came out, 2/7/19. So, yeah, all things follow the path of the Beam.

 

[Doctor Jones]

I haven't read the books but I don't understand. Why doesn't Amazon just adapt those? There's potential for a prequel series but how much of a desire is there for that?

The cancelled movie and TV min series almost a decade ago I still would love to see. I do think someday something like that will come to pass.

 

[Deck Rickard]

I haven't read the books but I don't understand. Why doesn't Amazon just adapt those? There's potential for a prequel series but how much of a desire is there for that?

The cancelled movie and TV min series almost a decade ago I still would love to see. I do think someday something like that will come to pass.

Well, parts of the first book and nearly all of the fourth book are the prequel. If they tried to do it in sequence, it would be difficult because you’d have to cast a bunch of teenagers who would have to not age for several years until they revisit that part of the story. Doing it this way makes a lot of sense, honestly. If it works, then they can continue on with Roland later on in his life, where the main story begins.

Alternatively, I suppose they could just start with The Gunslinger and skip the flashback chapters, but they are very important and add a lot to what’s happening in current timeline of the story. So holding off on them until later could hinder the story.

 

[Man in the Suit]

Showrunner Glen Mazzara changed his Twitter profile photo to the Wizard and Glass cover and his banner to the covers of the first 4 books. He also liked a tweeted from someone asking if the production start date is true. I guess this is really happening.

 

[Persona]

Well, parts of the first book and nearly all of the fourth book are the prequel. If they tried to do it in sequence, it would be difficult because you’d have to cast a bunch of teenagers who would have to not age for several years until they revisit that part of the story. Doing it this way makes a lot of sense, honestly. If it works, then they can continue on with Roland later on in his life, where the main story begins.

Alternatively, I suppose they could just start with The Gunslinger and skip the flashback chapters, but they are very important and add a lot to what’s happening in current timeline of the story. So holding off on them until later could hinder the story.

Yeah, it makes sense to me. Starting off with the first book and trying to follow the crazy chronology of the series would probably not get them where they want to go (greenlit for more).

They're throwing this at the Stranger Things/new It/Harry Potter wheelhouse...and honestly, from a narrative perspective, it could work better this way for the purposes of this medium. You can't really sympathize or connect with Roland in The Dark Tower series until somewhere towards the end of Book 2, and if you were just doing the books as they are it'd be hella confusing.

This starts with the more or less beginning of Roland's story and as a semi-innocent kid should be a lot easier to get the audience connecting with him and will lead to a better understanding of his nature and his quest.

I guess there are still some questions about how legit this news is but I'm hopeful (or at least as hopeful as I can be knowing Mazzara and Goldsman are still attached as producers). King's involvement should be a good thing but, well, that hasn't always been the case when it comes to his stuff getting adapted. I'm excited for casting news. Really curious to see who they get for Marten because, man, was McConaughey some wasted perfect casting. I imagine the kids will be largely unknowns.

Mads for Steven! Roland's mom will also be a key casting decision as I think they need to find someone who can make her sympathetic and that might not be an easy task unless some things (like Marten's possibly REAL spell over her) are made far more explicit.

 

[Fincher]

One disadvantage of doing it this way, at least from my perspective, is that the first book set the stage for the series' base conceit: the world-hopping and all the weirdness that entails. Here it'll be a mish-mash of fantasy and Western and post-apocalyptic, but still set in Roland's world until partway through there's stuff about New York City.

I'm also not crazy about the flashback part of Wizard and Glass (I do like the previous flashback stuff)), but hopefully it'll work better here since it's what we're getting.

 

[Breogan]

Showrunner Glen Mazzara changed his Twitter profile photo to the Wizard and Glass cover and his banner to the covers of the first 4 books. He also liked a tweeted from someone asking if the production start date is true. I guess this is really happening.

Great news. And and a good place to start as far as reworking the material.
This is finally kicking in to gear.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Yeah, it makes sense to me. Starting off with the first book and trying to follow the crazy chronology of the series would probably not get them where they want to go (greenlit for more).

They're throwing this at the Stranger Things/new It/Harry Potter wheelhouse...and honestly, from a narrative perspective, it could work better this way for the purposes of this medium. You can't really sympathize or connect with Roland in The Dark Tower series until somewhere towards the end of Book 2, and if you were just doing the books as they are it'd be hella confusing.

This starts with the more or less beginning of Roland's story and as a semi-innocent kid should be a lot easier to get the audience connecting with him and will lead to a better understanding of his nature and his quest.

I guess there are still some questions about how legit this news is but I'm hopeful (or at least as hopeful as I can be knowing Mazzara and Goldsman are still attached as producers). King's involvement should be a good thing but, well, that hasn't always been the case when it comes to his stuff getting adapted. I'm excited for casting news. Really curious to see who they get for Marten because, man, was McConaughey some wasted perfect casting. I imagine the kids will be largely unknowns.

Mads for Steven! Roland's mom will also be a key casting decision as I think they need to find someone who can make her sympathetic and that might not be an easy task unless some things (like Marten's possibly REAL spell over her) are made far more explicit.

Mads would be a great Steven but I think I’d rather have him as Marten/Walter. I know it’s typecasting but I’m still pissed over how Marvel criminally underutilized him.

 

[Persona]

There is a silver-tongued, snake charmer aspect to Marten that I don't see Mads as, not completely. And maybe just something about the physical appearance, too, that doesn't seem like a 100% fit to me.

Linus Roache could be a good Marten/Walter/Randall. I think Mandy showed how well he can convey something deeply disturbing and upsetting about a character underneath the surface...

 

[Deck Rickard]

That’s a good point; Mads might be a little too... harsh for Marten. I’ve only seen Roache in Batman Begins and Law & Order so I’ll have to take your word on whether he can portray that kind of character.

How about John Hawkes? He can go back and forth between charming and terrifying.