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

[Finarfiniel]

I'm a massive fan of the Dark Tower, it's my favourite modern book series by far and I'm currently on about my gazillionth re-read so this news fills me with equal parts joy and apprehension. Please get this right, Amazon, please. Done correctly, this show could honestly be huge,the crazy mix of western, high fantasy, horror and sci-fi is startlingly unique and I think audiences (especially fans of shows like Stranger Things, Westworld and even GoT) could really take to it in a big way. Plus, anything that washes the stink of that abortion of a movie off the book series is a good thing.

So, from what I can tell, the entire first season is going to be set during the time of the flashbacks in The Gunslinger and Wizard and Glass, right? Roland winning his guns, the threat of Marten and John Farson's rebellion, Roland, Cuthbert and Alain being sent to Mejis, meeting Susan, Eldred Jonas and the Big Coffin Hunters, Rhea of the Coos and the wizard's glass, e.t.c? If so, all that could easily fill up 13 hour long episodes, that's a very decent amount of time to devote to it IMO. And then, if the first season is successful and they decide to continue, I guess the second will jump forward in time to the main events of The Gunslinger and go from there? I can't think of any other TV show where the first season has taken place in a completely different time to the rest of the series with the central character having to then be recast as an adult, it's certainly unique and could be very interesting.

The right casting is absolutely vital for this, especially when it comes to Roland (both young and old) and Marten/Walter/Randall/the Man in Black, e.t.c. Do you think they'll have different actors playing Marten and then Walter, considering he's a shape-shifter? I guess that would make sense. And I also imagine that they will age young Roland up slightly in the first season because he's only 14 when he wins his guns and has a sexual relationship with (a 16 year old) Susan in the books. Amazon aren't going to have a young teenager having nookie in one of their shows, so I imagine they'll make him 18 or so instead.

Wow, I'm rambling. I'm sorry, I'm excited! I can't wait until we start getting casting news.

 

[Persona]

In a nod to Susannah, I feel like they should cast Susan with a black actor.

I agree that they will probably age up the kids a bit. Don't know if they will start with pre-teen versions and then have teen versions but if it's all one season you have to think that it will be primarily teen versions (maybe a few flashbacks to younger versions).

So, all that said: I vote Taylor Russell for Susan Delgado. She is 24 but can very easily pass for 16 or so.

 

[Finarfiniel]

In a nod to Susannah, I feel like they should cast Susan with a black actor.

I'd have no issue with that, but hopefully we'll eventually get more than just a nod to Susannah. If the show is a success and Amazon continue in possible further seasons to adapt the main timeline of the books, we'll hopefully see them all, older Roland, Eddie, Jake, Susannah and of course Oy. They better not leave out Oy, you simply can't have a DT adaptation without him. But I guess he'd have to be entirely CGI considering that, you know, billy-bumblers don't exist and all that, and that could be expensive. Does anyone know what kind of budget this is going to have? If Amazon can spend a billion dollars (!) on their LotR show, surely they can throw some decent money towards this too...

 

[Persona]

I've been really impressed with the CG chimp effects for Pogo in Umbrella Academy so if they're smart about it I don't think Oy will be outside the realm of possibility. Also, if they get to a season with Oy in it, then it probably means they've had enough success with the previous season(s) to warrant a bigger budget.

 

[:eek:]

‘The Dark Tower’ Casts Sam Strike As Gunslinger Roland Deschain, Plus Jasper Pääkkönen As Amazon Nears Pilot Order

 

[Marvolo]

That's ****ing disappointing.

 

[Persona]

I am so amped that the report turned out to be true and that this is actually happening, I am having trouble forming a coherent opinion about the casting news.

I am not really familiar with either one of them. Pictures-wise they seem... fine?

But yeah THIS IS HAPPENING.

 

[Deck Rickard]

That's ****ing disappointing.

What? The two actors? I don’t know the kid playing young Roland. But the guy playing Walter was really good in BlackkKlansman. I wasn’t expecting casting news so soon. Glad they got the ball rolling on this!

 

[Persona]

Just realized that Jasper Paakonen was Felix in BlacKKKlansman. I think that is actually really good casting for Marten.

Sam Strike I don't know about, I don't think I have seen him in anything. But he's got dem baby bombardier blue eyes!

 

[Deck Rickard]

Just realized that Jasper Paakonen was Felix in BlacKKKlansman. I think that is actually really good casting for Marten.

Sam Strike I don't know about, I don't think I have seen him in anything. But he's got dem baby bombardier blue eyes!

The gunslinger’s eyes.

Also, I know he’s busy as hell, but Finn Wolfhard would make a great Cuthbert.

 

[Finarfiniel]

Excellent, finally some casting news! So this is our young Roland:

I'm not familiar with his work, but he's racking up some fairly impressive credits for such a young actor, and he looks the part (slim, wiry, good looking but not pretty boy handsome, blue eyes... all they need to do is darken his hair) so I'm pretty happy so far. I'm more than willing to give the guy a chance, but Roland Deschain is one of my favourite literary characters so of course I'm a little anxious.

 

[Fincher]

I don't have a problem with how Sam looks for young Roland. I don't exactly see "The Walkin' Dude" in Jasper, but hypothetically speaking more than one actor could play the role, and it's not like that aspect of the character is all that prominent in The Dark Tower.

 

[Finarfiniel]

I don't have a problem with how Sam looks for young Roland. I don't exactly see "The Walkin' Dude" in Jasper, but hypothetically speaking more than one actor could play the role, and it's not like that aspect of the character is all that prominent in The Dark Tower.

Agreed, 'Marten', 'The Man in Black' and 'Randall Flagg' could definitely be played by three different actors, even though in reality they're all Walter. He's a shape-shifting sorcerer. If all three actors could try and bring similar character beats to their roles as well (Walter/Randall/Marten's strange, high pitched laugh for example), it would make it even more effective and creepy.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Yeah, Roland doesn't initially realize that Marten and Walter are the same person so they should probably have two people playing him. And Sam Strike (love that name...sounds like a 1990s video game hero) looks about how I imagined young Roland in Wizard and Glass. @Finarfiniel, I totally understand being apprehensive about this... after the terrible movie adaptation and the multiple false starts TDT has had over the years, any fan would be. And Amazon has a mixed record with properties that require a lot of special effects. However, they seem to get that there's a goldmine to be had in fantasy adaptations if they are done well, hence the reason they took up this and The Lord of the Rings. Hopefully they do both justice. If so, I might even be able to forgive them for paying NO taxes in 2018.

Seriously, the past two weeks have had me geeking out. We got:

- The new Endgame trailer
- Dark Tower casting
- Bill & Ted news
- The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood teaser
- Stranger Things 3 trailer
- The new John Wick 3 trailer.

Great time to be a nerd!

 

[Finarfiniel]

Yeah, Roland doesn't initially realize that Marten and Walter are the same person so they should probably have two people playing him. And Sam Strike (love that name...sounds like a 1990s video game hero) looks about how I imagined young Roland in Wizard and Glass. @Finarfiniel, I totally understand being apprehensive about this... after the terrible movie adaptation and the multiple false starts TDT has had over the years, any fan would be. And Amazon has a mixed record with properties that require a lot of special effects. However, they seem to get that there's a goldmine to be had in fantasy adaptations if they are done well, hence the reason they took up this and The Lord of the Rings. Hopefully they do both justice. If so, I might even be able to forgive them for paying NO taxes in 2018.

Seriously, the past two weeks have had me geeking out. We got:

- The new Endgame trailer
- Dark Tower casting
- Bill & Ted news
- The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood teaser
- Stranger Things 3 trailer
- The new John Wick 3 trailer.

Great time to be a nerd!

A frickin awesome time to be a fantasy nerd especially! I'm actually living at a time when Amazon are producing TV shows of both Stephen King's Dark Tower series and J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, two of my absolute favourite things.

I'm wondering how far into the DT lore they'll dare to go in this first season. We'll obviously get mentions of Maerlyn and his Wizard's Rainbow (not to mention see the pink ball), and Arthur Eld and Roland's bloodline I'd imagine. Will they start to drop hints about the Dark Tower and what it actually is? Will we get to see it? What about the universe hopping? The dimensional doors? Going todash? Could we even have a cameo from the Crimson King himself? If the show is a success and they end up jumping forward to the main timeline of the books in later seasons, it would make sense to start the world building early.

I'm trying not to get too excited about this show (after the massive slap in the face that was the movie I vowed I wouldn't), but it's hard not to, thinking about all the possibilities.

 

[Marvolo]

What? The two actors? I don’t know the kid playing young Roland. But the guy playing Walter was really good in BlackkKlansman. I wasn’t expecting casting news so soon. Glad they got the ball rolling on this!

Only the Roland casting is disappointing. Unless they grizzle him up a lot and he can do a good weary gunslinger act.

I've got no problem with the other guy.

 

[Finarfiniel]

Only the Roland casting is disappointing. Unless they grizzle him up a lot and he can do a good weary gunslinger act.

I've got no problem with the other guy.

But Sam Strike isn't playing the older, grizzled, world weary gunslinger Roland of the main timeline of the books, he's playing the young Roland of the flashbacks in The Gunslinger and Wizard and Glass who has only just won his guns. Roland was only 14 when he traveled to Mejis with Cuthbert and Alain and met Susan. I imagine they'll age him up slightly in the show, but at the most he'll only be 18 or so. Strike actually looks an awful lot like how young Roland is described in Wizard and Glass.

 

[Marvolo]

Is it confirmed that they are casting another older actor for older Roland?

 

[Finarfiniel]

Is it confirmed that they are casting another older actor for older Roland?

Not yet. From what we know so far, this show is going to be an adaptation of the flashbacks in The Gunslinger and Wizard and Glass, and 'The Gunslinger Born' Marvel comics run which told the story (and expanded on it) in visual form. It's basically Roland's origin story. I imagine that if the show is a big success and Amazon want to continue adapting the books, they'll do a time skip forward to the main timeline of the books in later seasons (maybe even as early as the second season), re-cast Roland as the old, grizzled gunslinger we know and love from the books and carry on from there. They can still use Strike in flashbacks if they want to.

 

[Persona]

This has only been ordered to pilot. If the pilot gets an order for a first season, the initial report stated that the season would be focusing on Young Roland and his ka-tet (Cuthbert, Alain, possibly Jamie, and they will probably work Susan Delgado in somehow) and the storyline about how Marten seduces Roland's mom and then maybe some of the Wizard and Glass elements. It is possible that an older Roland might get cast as a sort of framing device but it definitely sounds like Young Roland and how he becomes a gunslinger is going to be the main narrative of the first season and now the casting of Strike has sort of backed that up since he is the first one announced along with Jasper for Marten (specifically the name of the Man in Black from that part of the Dark Tower story).

 

[Persona]

oh whoops, Finarfiniel beat me to it!

 

[Persona]

Yeah, Roland doesn't initially realize that Marten and Walter are the same person so they should probably have two people playing him. And Sam Strike (love that name...sounds like a 1990s video game hero) looks about how I imagined young Roland in Wizard and Glass. @Finarfiniel, I totally understand being apprehensive about this... after the terrible movie adaptation and the multiple false starts TDT has had over the years, any fan would be. And Amazon has a mixed record with properties that require a lot of special effects. However, they seem to get that there's a goldmine to be had in fantasy adaptations if they are done well, hence the reason they took up this and The Lord of the Rings. Hopefully they do both justice. If so, I might even be able to forgive them for paying NO taxes in 2018.

Seriously, the past two weeks have had me geeking out. We got:

- The new Endgame trailer
- Dark Tower casting
- Bill & Ted news
- The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood teaser
- Stranger Things 3 trailer
- The new John Wick 3 trailer.

Great time to be a nerd!

Not to mention Chris Nolan casting news and that suh-weet trailer for Lucy in the Sky!

 

[Marvolo]

Not yet. From what we know so far, this show is going to be an adaptation of the flashbacks in The Gunslinger and Wizard and Glass, and 'The Gunslinger Born' Marvel comics run which told the story (and expanded on it) in visual form. It's basically Roland's origin story. I imagine that if the show is a big success and Amazon want to continue adapting the books, they'll do a time skip forward to the main timeline of the books in later seasons (maybe even as early as the second season), re-cast Roland as the old, grizzled gunslinger we know and love from the books and carry on from there. They can still use Strike in flashbacks if they want to.

Ugh. Just do a straight adaption. Maybe sprinkle in some sparse flashbacks. It doesnt need an entire show dedicated to young Roland's origin story. It robs the Gunslinger of all of his mystique.

 

[Persona]

Well, I guess you could argue that the books themselves destroyed the mystique when they did the flashbacks (like the 600-page one in WIZARD AND GLASS).

I personally think it is a smart move to try to ensure this thing gets made in the first place. Hook people in with a sort of fantasy STRANGER THINGS angle and also get people invested in Roland right off the bat, then contrast what Young Roland is like with Old Roland if they even get to go that far with it. I think doing it this way gives them better odds of a few seasons then if they just started off with the story of THE GUNSLINGER (as much as I love that one) and a gruff, insular, decidedly anti-heroic Roland. Not sure that would even make it past the pilot episode.

 

[Marvolo]

Good point.