Mike Flanagan's Dark Tower Adaptation Just Got A Big Update…

Summary

Flanagan plans a Dark Tower series and two movies, seeking to satisfy fans with a comprehensive storytelling approach.
The failed 2017 film adaptation prompts high expectations for Flanagan's take on the Dark Tower series.
Flanagan's familiarity with King's work and successful adaptations increase anticipation for The Dark Tower series.

Fans have been waiting for more details about Mike Flanagan's adaptation of Stephen King' s The Dark Tower, and the filmmaker recently gave an update on his game plan for the highly anticipated (and lengthy) project.

King's Dark Tower series has a novella and eight books, and the first, Gunslinger, was published in 1982. There was a long wait between the seventh novel, which was published in 2004, and book 8, The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole, which came out in 2012. It seems likely that Flanagan's Dark Tower adaptation will have a big budget as there are so many characters, storylines, and settings to include. Flanagan also adapted King's The Life of Chuck for the big screen, and while the box office performance has been lackluster, fans are enjoying the beautifully told, touching story. While attention has been on this emotional film, everyone is curious about The Dark Tower.

'All I Can Say Is It's Happening' Stephen King Just Confirmed That He Is Writing For Mike Flanagan's Dark Tower Series

Stephen King confirmed that he would be part of Mike Flanagan’s TV adaptation of his book The Dark Tower series.

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By Catherine Armecin Martin

Mike Flanagan Shares His Plans For Stephen King's The Dark Tower Adaptation

The Dark Tower The People of the White and the Red, EXPLAINED

In an interview with The Toronto Sun, Mike Flanagan revealed he would like to make five seasons of a Dark Tower TV series and then several movies. He said:

"It’s got to be a series then it also has to have movies. The perfect way to do it is five seasons and two movies, but there are a lot of different ways it can go. It’s such an intimidating undertaking, but we’re setting it up now to begin as a series and we’ll see where it goes."

While fans have heard Flanagan share past updates on The Dark Tower, and he once compared the project's huge size to "an oil tanker," now he's revealing his roadmap for the adaptation. It's great to hear that the TV show could have five seasons and two movies. In most cases, five seasons is a good run for a TV series, and it's enough time to tell a complete story and satisfy fans. Since The Dark Tower is packed with so many fascinating moments and important characters, it would make sense to make a few films once the TV series has wrapped up. It's unclear exactly how Flanagan would structure the TV show or two movies. Perhaps the TV show would follow most of the books and then the movies would cover books seven and eight. But given Flanagan's love for the source material, he likely has an idea in mind.

Although The Dark Tower was adapted for film in 2017, the movie disappointed audiences. It has a 16% Rotten Tomatoes rating and 44% on the Popcornmeter. Starring Matthew McConaughey as Walter Padick, Idris Elba as Roland Deschain, and Tom Taylor as notable child character Jake Chambers, no one was impressed with this version of the story. Jake is the focal point of a memorable scene involving Stephen King himself, and hopefully, the TV series will include it.

Since Flanagan is so familiar with King's work and made a solid adaptation of Gerald's Game and Doctor Sleep, the sequel to the classic horror movie The Shining, fans are certain that he will do a great job with The Dark Tower.

In the same interview, the filmmaker was asked about his "dream" King adaptation, and he answered that it's The Dark Tower. He said, "It’s the one that ties it all together. It’s the journey of a life and existence."