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

[Rorschach2012]

I’m not deep into Wizard and Glass but does it make sense to start with the fourth book instead of the Gunslinger or the prequel book?

 

[MovieSlave]

Looking good so far. I'm hoping this will wash out the terrible taste in my mouth that was the movie adaptation. Elba and McConaughey were wasted in that.

 

[Deck Rickard]

I’m not deep into Wizard and Glass but does it make sense to start with the fourth book instead of the Gunslinger or the prequel book?

Yes, because that’s the beginning of the story of we’re going chronologically. Well, technically the flashbacks in The Gunslinger are where it begins but W&G follows that. And I’m almost 100% sure they’ll include those flashbacks at the beginning of this.

 

[Rorschach2012]

I thought Elba was an awful casting choice. Great actor but miscast.

Bale could’ve done it or maybe Viggo Mortensen. I’m on board for Iain Glen though, 100%

 

[Finarfiniel]

Bronn looks really badass. Since these scenes appear to be Giliead, and he's dressed like a gunslinger, I'm guessing he's playing Steven Deschain. Though he could possibly still be playing Jonas, since he was a failed gunslinger and this could be a flashback. That's unlikely though because he would have only been at Gilead until his test, which would probably have occurred when he was Roland's age or a little older.

I'm also thinking that Flynn is Steven Deschain (though I'm disappointed that he doesn't have the epic handlebar mustache if he is ), he just doesn't look at all like Cort who should be much bigger and meaner looking, and like you say, him being Jonas now looks unlikely which is a bit of a shame tbh. I was hoping that Flynn would play a larger role, once the action moves to Mejis we won't see much of Deschain the elder... Unless maybe they're going to have a storyline ongoing in Gilead that runs alongside the Mejis storyline, that would make sense otherwise we wouldn't end up seeing much of Marten either. Also, I wish they'd tell us who has been cast as Cuthbert and Alain already, I want to know!

I actually just started the Wizard and Glass. The previous 3 books are some of my favorite books ever. I started The Gunslinger last year and have been pretty consistently listening to the audiobooks in the car ever since. Stephen King is a god.

This is an incredible series that could very easily become a cultural phenomenon like Game of Thrones if they execute it properly. I have faith that Amazon realizes this. The set photos are very encouraging, it looks like they’ve got a sizable budget.

I'm so jealous, I wish I could read Wizard and Glass for the first time again. It can be a little polarising for some readers (because the main story effectively takes a whole book long break for a very long, extended flashback story from Roland's past) but I absolutely love it, it's maybe my favourite book in the series overall. It's a vital book to really understand Roland as a character and everything that he's been through that has made him the man that he is by the time of The Gunslinger onwards. That's why I think starting from the events of Wizard and Glass was a good decision for the show, adapting the books in the same order that they were published runs the risk of the general audience not understanding or taking to Roland at all because episodic television is a very different format to a book series where you can read a character's internal monologue and know them and their true thoughts and feelings better.

Looking good so far. I'm hoping this will wash out the terrible taste in my mouth that was the movie adaptation. Elba and McConaughey were wasted in that.

Agreed. Whilst I also agree with Rorschach that Elba was miscast (as much as I like him), I think McConaughey was even worse and delivered a Razzie worthy performance as Walter. He played him like an oily, preening hipster, not the bizarre, laughing, enigmatic and creepy presence that he is in the books, such an awesome villain reduced to pathetic pantomime. Here's to hoping that Jasper Pääkkönen manages to find a much better and more accurate beat as Marten.

 

[Deck Rickard]

I'm also thinking that Flynn is Steven Deschain (though I'm disappointed that he doesn't have the epic handlebar mustache if he is ), he just doesn't look at all like Cort who should be much bigger and meaner looking, and like you say, him being Jonas now looks unlikely which is a bit of a shame tbh. I was hoping that Flynn would play a larger role, once the action moves to Mejis we won't see much of Deschain the elder... Unless maybe they're going to have a storyline ongoing in Gilead that runs alongside the Mejis storyline, that would make sense otherwise we wouldn't end up seeing much of Marten either. Also, I wish they'd tell us who has been cast as Cuthbert and Alain already, I want to know!



I'm so jealous, I wish I could read Wizard and Glass for the first time again. It can be a little polarising for some readers (because the main story effectively takes a whole book long break for a very long, extended flashback story from Roland's past) but I absolutely love it, it's maybe my favourite book in the series overall. It's a vital book to really understand Roland as a character and everything that he's been through that has made him the man that he is by the time of The Gunslinger onwards. That's why I think starting from the events of Wizard and Glass was a good decision for the show, adapting the books in the same order that they were published runs the risk of the general audience not understanding or taking to Roland at all because episodic television is a very different format to a book series where you can read a character's internal monologue and know them and their true thoughts and feelings better.



Agreed. Whilst I also agree with Rorschach that Elba was miscast (as much as I like him), I think McConaughey was even worse and delivered a Razzie worthy performance as Walter. He played him like an oily, preening hipster, not the bizarre, laughing, enigmatic and creepy presence that he is in the books, such an awesome villain reduced to pathetic pantomime. Here's to hoping that Jasper Pääkkönen manages to find a much better and more accurate beat as Marten.

Yeah, I doubt Cuthbert and Alain are actors we've heard of, but that casting is important - Cuthbert especially because he's such a smartass. Too bad Finn Wolfhard is so busy; he'd be perfect for that part.

Wizard and Glass is definitely one of the best books; I go back and forth between that one and The Drawing of the Three on which is my favorite. The first meeting between Roland and Susan is just so perfect. And overall, it's probably the most "Western" of the books; aside from the Thinny stuff, it otherwise feels like a classic wild west tale.

 

[:eek:]

I’m not deep into Wizard and Glass but does it make sense to start with the fourth book instead of the Gunslinger or the prequel book?

Even if the majority of the novel is set in the past it begins and ends in present time. And the book begins where the third ends with a real cliffhanger. So I wouldn't start with Wizard & Glass.

 

[Rorschach2012]

I feel like Peter Stormare would be such a good Walter. Unfortunately, Stormare has been in so many bad movies just for the paycheck and often gives a half assed performance, that it’d be hard to not think about his more lackluster performances. He’s a lot like Travolta or Nic Cage in that regard. If he could go all in on it, I think he’d do great.

 

[Rorschach2012]

Who would you guys like to see as Eddie Dean? After Beautiful Boy, I think Timothee Chalamet would be pretty perfect, but I think he’s getting too big.

Aaron Paul would’ve been incredible but he’s aged out. I feel like Ruth Negga would’ve been the perfect Susannah but she’s probably aged out too.

I feel like this cast is probably too old but they embody the roles so well:

Iain Glen as Roland Deschain
Aaron Paul as Eddie Dean
Ruth Negga as Susannah Dean
Peter Stormare as The Man in Black

 

[Finarfiniel]

News about Jerome Flynn that I got from the Dark Tower Reddit; apparently he confirmed at the Naples Comic Con a few days ago that he's playing Steven Deschain. This is a translation from an Italian website:

The future has, however, in store another prestigious literary work for Jerome Flynn, because it will be in the adaptation of The Dark Tower by Amazon Prime Video. "I'm not the main character, but I play the father. They asked me what I wanted to be and I thought I had a cowboy inside me, and this is very close." On the result of this adaptation he is confident: "They made a film that is not good, but I have positive feelings about this project."

Il trono di spade 8, Jerome Flynn al Comicon 2019: “Il terzo episodio sarà epico!”

Yeah, I doubt Cuthbert and Alain are actors we've heard of, but that casting is important - Cuthbert especially because he's such a smartass. Too bad Finn Wolfhard is so busy; he'd be perfect for that part.

Wizard and Glass is definitely one of the best books; I go back and forth between that one and The Drawing of the Three on which is my favorite. The first meeting between Roland and Susan is just so perfect. And overall, it's probably the most "Western" of the books; aside from the Thinny stuff, it otherwise feels like a classic wild west tale.

This is going to sound really shallow, I love Finn Wolfhard but I just can't see him as Cuthbert because I imagine Bert being really classically handsome (more so than Roland) because of the way he's described in Wizard and Glass and drawn in the comics. All I can say is that I really hope they cast Bert right, he's one of my favourite characters. "Might I recline briefly at your feet miss? Your beauty has loosened my knees. I am sure a few moments looking up at your profile from below with the back of my head on these cool tiles will put me right."

Who would you guys like to see as Eddie Dean? After Beautiful Boy, I think Timothee Chalamet would be pretty perfect, but I think he’s getting too big.

Aaron Paul would’ve been incredible but he’s aged out. I feel like Ruth Negga would’ve been the perfect Susannah but she’s probably aged out too.

I feel like this cast is probably too old but they embody the roles so well:

Iain Glen as Roland Deschain
Aaron Paul as Eddie Dean
Ruth Negga as Susannah Dean
Peter Stormare as The Man in Black

Eddie and Walter are two characters that are really difficult to cast, I can't think of anyone I can see in those roles off the top of my head, but as you know I 100% support Iain Glen as older Roland, and I think Jaz Sinclair of 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' would make a great Susannah:

Letitia Wright would also be dream casting as Susannah (if she can do an American accent), but like Chalamet she's probably too big now to take a main role in what could potentially be a long-running TV series with her film career on the rise.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Who would you guys like to see as Eddie Dean? After Beautiful Boy, I think Timothee Chalamet would be pretty perfect, but I think he’s getting too big.

Aaron Paul would’ve been incredible but he’s aged out. I feel like Ruth Negga would’ve been the perfect Susannah but she’s probably aged out too.

I feel like this cast is probably too old but they embody the roles so well:

Iain Glen as Roland Deschain
Aaron Paul as Eddie Dean
Ruth Negga as Susannah Dean
Peter Stormare as The Man in Black

Karl Hungus as Walter? Not someone I would have ever thought of, but yeah, I could see it. His Lucifer character in Constantine had some shades of Walter.

 

[Deck Rickard]

News about Jerome Flynn that I got from the Dark Tower Reddit; apparently he confirmed at the Naples Comic Con a few days ago that he's playing Steven Deschain. This is a translation from an Italian website:



Il trono di spade 8, Jerome Flynn al Comicon 2019: “Il terzo episodio sarà epico!”



This is going to sound really shallow, I love Finn Wolfhard but I just can't see him as Cuthbert because I imagine Bert being really classically handsome (more so than Roland) because of the way he's described in Wizard and Glass and drawn in the comics. All I can say is that I really hope they cast Bert right, he's one of my favourite characters. "Might I recline briefly at your feet miss? Your beauty has loosened my knees. I am sure a few moments looking up at your profile from below with the back of my head on these cool tiles will put me right."



Eddie and Walter are two characters that are really difficult to cast, I can't think of anyone I can see in those roles off the top of my head, but as you know I 100% support Iain Glen as older Roland, and I think Jaz Sinclair of 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' would make a great Susannah:

Letitia Wright would also be dream casting as Susannah (if she can do an American accent), but like Chalamet she's probably too big now to take a main role in what could potentially be a long-running TV series with her film career on the rise.

So Steven Deschain it is. I think Flynn will do well in that role. It will be interesting seeing him as such a humorless character after years of watching him as snarky Bronn.

Regarding Cuthbert, haha yeah, maybe they do need someone more classically handsome in that part. I do remember Susan at one point thinking that she might have fallen for him had she met him before Roland.

As for the pivotal roles of older Roland, Eddie and Susannah, they are tough to cast and it's probably not worth trying at this point because even if they eventually do decide to try and tell the stories of adult Roland and his ka-tet on this TV series, we're probably still a few years away from that. Maybe not though... if they tell all of Wizard & Glass in this season, then maybe future seasons will focus on the other books. But I could also see them adapting The Long Road Home and the other graphic novels for seasons 2 and 3 so that they don't have to just dump the actors they cast for season 1. That's assuming, of course the show is successful, but I hope it is.

But anyway, for these characters... sue me, but I still think Hugh Jackman was born to play Roland. Is it obvious? Sure. But the guy looks so much like Clint Eastwood and yet he also can portray deeper, more thoughtful characters as well. In some ways, Logan felt like an audition to play Roland.

Eddie is a tougher one... as much of a Breaking Bad fan as I am, I've never been crazy about Aaron Paul in the role. I'd be fine if he got it but for whatever reason, he's not what I pictured when reading the story. Chalamet is a good suggestion, but since he's already the lead in Dune, I doubt he'd want to take on another desert-based franchise. I'm not sure if Fionn Whitehead can be funny, but he's a good actor, is the right age and looks the part. I could also honestly see Dave Franco pulling it off.

For Susannah, how about Janelle Monae? She proved in Hidden Figures and Moonlight that she's got some acting chops, and she's the right age. Susannah's a demanding role, but I think she could do it.

 

[Persona]

Total Croatia News says the first season will be 13 episodes. Don't know if that's just the plan or if Amazon already ordered the pilot to series? Hope it's the latter!

Also, I am really surprised they are shooting right now and we don't have more info about the cast and crew. Someone get IMDB updated already!

 

[Persona]

I can't fully access IMDB right now but on a Google search of the IMDB page I see Ivan Kaye and Abraham Popoola are also in the cast?

 

[Persona]

Karl Hungus as Walter? Not someone I would have ever thought of, but yeah, I could see it. His Lucifer character in Constantine had some shades of Walter.

I think Jasper Paakonen is going to do a good job as Marten. Solid actor and he's got the right kind of intelligent but half-deranged look to his eyes.

So Express UK says Abraham Popoola is playing someone named "McCreedy." A new character, I guess, unless I am forgetting someone.

 

[TheVileOne]

Jerome Flynn is one of the best actors on the planet and this show is lucky to have him.

 

[Deck Rickard]

I think Jasper Paakonen is going to do a good job as Marten. Solid actor and he's got the right kind of intelligent but half-deranged look to his eyes.

So Express UK says Abraham Popoola is playing someone named "McCreedy." A new character, I guess, unless I am forgetting someone.

Yeah, that name doesn't ring a bell. Must be a new character, or someone got something wrong. Though maybe there was a character named McCreedy in Mejis that I'm forgetting.

Jerome Flynn is one of the best actors on the planet and this show is lucky to have him.

Certainly a great actor, but one of the best on the planet? That's a bit much.

 

[Persona]

Maybe they named the deadly chef McCreedy?

 

[Finarfiniel]

Oh, I really hope that rumour about the first season having 13 episodes is true, praying that Amazon orders this show to full series if it hasn't already. They seem to be spending some serious cash on the pilot from the set pictures, so here's hoping.

So Steven Deschain it is. I think Flynn will do well in that role. It will be interesting seeing him as such a humorless character after years of watching him as snarky Bronn.

Regarding Cuthbert, haha yeah, maybe they do need someone more classically handsome in that part. I do remember Susan at one point thinking that she might have fallen for him had she met him before Roland.

As for the pivotal roles of older Roland, Eddie and Susannah, they are tough to cast and it's probably not worth trying at this point because even if they eventually do decide to try and tell the stories of adult Roland and his ka-tet on this TV series, we're probably still a few years away from that. Maybe not though... if they tell all of Wizard & Glass in this season, then maybe future seasons will focus on the other books. But I could also see them adapting The Long Road Home and the other graphic novels for seasons 2 and 3 so that they don't have to just dump the actors they cast for season 1. That's assuming, of course the show is successful, but I hope it is.

But anyway, for these characters... sue me, but I still think Hugh Jackman was born to play Roland. Is it obvious? Sure. But the guy looks so much like Clint Eastwood and yet he also can portray deeper, more thoughtful characters as well. In some ways, Logan felt like an audition to play Roland.

Eddie is a tougher one... as much of a Breaking Bad fan as I am, I've never been crazy about Aaron Paul in the role. I'd be fine if he got it but for whatever reason, he's not what I pictured when reading the story. Chalamet is a good suggestion, but since he's already the lead in Dune, I doubt he'd want to take on another desert-based franchise. I'm not sure if Fionn Whitehead can be funny, but he's a good actor, is the right age and looks the part. I could also honestly see Dave Franco pulling it off.

For Susannah, how about Janelle Monae? She proved in Hidden Figures and Moonlight that she's got some acting chops, and she's the right age. Susannah's a demanding role, but I think she could do it.

Yeah, it's going to be so interesting seeing Flynn as Steven Deschain as he's pretty much as opposite to Bronn as a character as you can get. They're both badass fighters, but that's where the similarities completely end. Flynn playing a very stoic and serious guy and a great leader and ruler like Deschain is going to be a treat.

I've never pictured Hugh Jackman as Roland (and I always imagine Roland as being much taller and leaner/wirier than Jackman) but he's a fantastic actor and like you say, Logan more than proved that he's up for the challenge Not that it'd ever happen though, whenever you see A-list movie stars doing television work, it's usually restricted to short run or limited series so it doesn't keep them away from making films for too long.

I also like your suggestion of Dave Franco as Eddie too, good one! He also looks a lot like I imagine Eddie looking. And how did I never think of Janelle Monae as Susannah? She's a brilliant actress, I'm totally on board with that. I agree that Susannah would be a really challenging character for any actress, especially when she's Odetta/Detta at first and then when she gets possessed by Mia later on.

Jerome Flynn is one of the best actors on the planet and this show is lucky to have him.

I think Flynn is a great actor and Bronn is one of my favourite characters in GoT, but I have to agree that calling him one of the best actors on the planet is probably a bit much. Have you ever read the DT books? If this show ends up being anywhere near as awesome as its source material, then Flynn is the lucky one to be a part of it. Trust me. I can't even express how much potential this show has, it's truly like nothing out there at the moment, a crazy mish-mash of genres that by all rights shouldn't work, but does spectacularly. It has the potential to be huge if done right.

Maybe they named the deadly chef McCreedy?

The chef in The Gunslinger is called Hax. I did a search on the Dark Tower Wiki and got no results for a character called McCreedy. Curious.

 

[Rorschach2012]

Dave Franco would be a great Eddie.

 

[Persona]

Ever since the LotR movies were announced I've been an addict for IMDB deep dives on projects I am anticipating (I even rented The Phantom with Billy Zane because it had the same gaffer that LotR was going to have, lol).

There is not much juicy on IMDB yet that we don't know as far director, cinematographer, production designer, etc. But there is some cool tidbits on the crew and I thought I could summarize what we know so far.

Showrunner/Writer
Glen Mazzarra (most well known for The Shield and S1-3 of Walking Dead)

Cast
Young Roland Deschain - Sam Strike (Nightflyers, Mindhunter, Chernobyl)
Susan Delgado - Joana Ribeiro (The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, At An Uncertain Time)
Stephen Deschain - Jerome Flynn (GoT, Ripper Street, John Wick 3)
Marten - Jasper Paakkonen (Vikings, Blackkklansman, Lapland Odyssey)
Cordelia Delgado - Ana Padrao (Cabaret Maxime, At An Uncertain Time, The Lovebirds)
McCreedy - Abraham Popoola (Electric Dreams, Les Mis, Jingle Jangle)
TBA (Cort?) - Ivan Kaye (Vikings, The Borgias, The Coroner)

Supervising Art Director
Adam Squires (one of the art directors on Phantom Thread and Outlaw King, senior art director on S2 of Krypton)

Art Dept
Concept Artist - Evan Shipard (Fury Road, Ash vs. Evil Dead, Alien: Covenant)
Storyboard Artist - Kurt van der Basch (The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, Vikings)

Visual FX Supervisor
Nathan McGuinness (vfx supervisor for Double Negative on Total Recall, Les Mis, Fast & Furious 6)

Stunt Coordinator
Nick Gillard (Star Wars prequels, Reign of Fire, Wanted)

They have a few other crew members listed, too, but those are the most notable ones at this moment. Seems like they've got some good people working on this.

 

[TheVileOne]

Yeah, that name doesn't ring a bell. Must be a new character, or someone got something wrong. Though maybe there was a character named McCreedy in Mejis that I'm forgetting.



Certainly a great actor, but one of the best on the planet? That's a bit much.

I stand by it.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Oh, I really hope that rumour about the first season having 13 episodes is true, praying that Amazon orders this show to full series if it hasn't already. They seem to be spending some serious cash on the pilot from the set pictures, so here's hoping.



Yeah, it's going to be so interesting seeing Flynn as Steven Deschain as he's pretty much as opposite to Bronn as a character as you can get. They're both badass fighters, but that's where the similarities completely end. Flynn playing a very stoic and serious guy and a great leader and ruler like Deschain is going to be a treat.

I've never pictured Hugh Jackman as Roland (and I always imagine Roland as being much taller and leaner/wirier than Jackman) but he's a fantastic actor and like you say, Logan more than proved that he's up for the challenge Not that it'd ever happen though, whenever you see A-list movie stars doing television work, it's usually restricted to short run or limited series so it doesn't keep them away from making films for too long.

I also like your suggestion of Dave Franco as Eddie too, good one! He also looks a lot like I imagine Eddie looking. And how did I never think of Janelle Monae as Susannah? She's a brilliant actress, I'm totally on board with that. I agree that Susannah would be a really challenging character for any actress, especially when she's Odetta/Detta at first and then when she gets possessed by Mia later on.



I think Flynn is a great actor and Bronn is one of my favourite characters in GoT, but I have to agree that calling him one of the best actors on the planet is probably a bit much. Have you ever read the DT books? If this show ends up being anywhere near as awesome as its source material, then Flynn is the lucky one to be a part of it. Trust me. I can't even express how much potential this show has, it's truly like nothing out there at the moment, a crazy mish-mash of genres that by all rights shouldn't work, but does spectacularly. It has the potential to be huge if done right.



The chef in The Gunslinger is called Hax. I did a search on the Dark Tower Wiki and got no results for a character called McCreedy. Curious.

Yeah, Jackman taking on the role of Roland would likely never happen in a TV series BUT given that he’s getting older now and some of his recent films haven’t been hits (The Frontrunner and Pan were flops, for example), I could see a scenario where he ends up in a TV series. I doubt Amazon would want to foot the bill for a name that big but they have all the money in the world, so who knows, lol.

Glad you like the Franco and Monae suggestions. I also think Jonathan Tucker and Susan Kalechi Watson could pull off Eddie and Susannah too, even if they’re both a little older than the characters in the books. I don’t know how much that really matters, to be honest; pretty much all of the characters in Game of Thrones were aged up from the books.

As for this McCreedy character... was there someone named McCreedy in Hambry? The sheriff or something? It’s been so long I don’t remember.

 

[Finarfiniel]

Thanks for the info from IMDb, @Persona. It certainly sounds like they have some talented and experienced folks working on the pilot which is very good to know. I checked out Glen Mazzara's twitter again earlier and he's certainly saying all the right things, promising to 'remember the face of his father' and all. He's clearly very passionate about the books so it seems like the show is in good hands at least.

Yeah, Jackman taking on the role of Roland would likely never happen in a TV series BUT given that he’s getting older now and some of his recent films haven’t been hits (The Frontrunner and Pan were flops, for example), I could see a scenario where he ends up in a TV series. I doubt Amazon would want to foot the bill for a name that big but they have all the money in the world, so who knows, lol.

Glad you like the Franco and Monae suggestions. I also think Jonathan Tucker and Susan Kalechi Watson could pull off Eddie and Susannah too, even if they’re both a little older than the characters in the books. I don’t know how much that really matters, to be honest; pretty much all of the characters in Game of Thrones were aged up from the books.

As for this McCreedy character... was there someone named McCreedy in Hambry? The sheriff or something? It’s been so long I don’t remember.

I wouldn't mind them aging Eddie and Susannah up slightly (I believe they're in their mid-20's when Roland first draws them into Mid-World in the books?), but I hope they keep Jake the same age at 11/12 at first to re-enforce the father/son bond that he and Roland end up forging. He was too old in the movie, but I guess that was the very least of the issues with Jake's portrayal in that movie, he was pretty much a completely different character to book Jake in every way.

The sheriff in Hambry is called Herk Avery, I just checked. Interestingly, Sheb's surname is McCurdy, which is very similar. Sheb is the piano player at the Traveller's Rest in Hambry, older Roland then ends up meeting him again later in the town of Tull in The Gunslinger and he breaks both his arms.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Thanks for the info from IMDb, @Persona. It certainly sounds like they have some talented and experienced folks working on the pilot which is very good to know. I checked out Glen Mazzara's twitter again earlier and he's certainly saying all the right things, promising to 'remember the face of his father' and all. He's clearly very passionate about the books so it seems like the show is in good hands at least.



I wouldn't mind them aging Eddie and Susannah up slightly (I believe they're in their mid-20's when Roland first draws them into Mid-World in the books?), but I hope they keep Jake the same age at 11/12 at first to re-enforce the father/son bond that he and Roland end up forging. He was too old in the movie, but I guess that was the very least of the issues with Jake's portrayal in that movie, he was pretty much a completely different character to book Jake in every way.

The sheriff in Hambry is called Herk Avery, I just checked. Interestingly, Sheb's surname is McCurdy, which is very similar. Sheb is the piano player at the Traveller's Rest in Hambry, older Roland then ends up meeting him again later in the town of Tull in The Gunslinger and he breaks both his arms.

Thanks! I was probably thinking of McCurdy, or maybe whoever reported on this for the name slightly wrong. Or I suppose it’s possible they changed it, though I don’t know why.

Anyway, after just watching what has to be the worst series finale I’ve ever seen, it just makes me glad that King finished his magnum opus before someone adapted it into a TV series, otherwise the show runners might have had to wing it in later seasons and turn out something awful.