The Big Picture
- Mike Flanagan provides an update on the highly anticipated television adaptation of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, stating that they’ve made significant progress despite the ongoing strikes.
- Flanagan hints at the involvement of “great partners” and undisclosed actors, as well as teasing “groundbreaking” filmmaking tactics for the adaptation.
- While development is currently on hold, Flanagan expresses confidence and solidarity with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, stating that once the strikes are over, The Dark Tower series will be a top priority and will move forward successfully.
It’s no secret that author Stephen King dominates the book-to-screen pipeline, with several of his books eventually making their way to film or television one way or another. Soon, King’s Dark Tower series will be the latest in a lineup of adaptations — and it’s getting a much-deserved second chance with Mike Flanagan‘s television rendition of the books. The project was originally announced in December 2022, and Flanagan recently offered an incredibly promising update on the show.
In a new episode of FANGORIA’s The Kingcast, Flanagan revealed that he and the rest of the team are “making enormous progress” on the series, though for now, most development on the series is halted due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Flanagan added that he has “every reason to believe that on the other side of the strike, it’s gonna be priority #1.” He continued by teasing “great partners” working alongside him to adapt the books, as well as undisclosed actors already circling roles. He also teased “groundbreaking” tactics, shared his confidence in moving forward, as well as standing in solidarity with WGA and SAG-AFTRA.
“We have some potentially groundbreaking approaches to the filmmaking of it that I just can’t really talk about … but what I can say is that my fears that any momentum we had developed was gonna be obliterated [by the strike], well, I don’t really worry about that. We’re in a healthy place. We are of course in solidarity with the WGA and SAG, and once those immediate needs are taken care of and everyone’s back to work, I think that’s when we’re gonna immediately deploy. But it’s going very well.”
What Is The Dark Tower Series About?
Spanning eight books and a novella, King’s series first began in the 1980s with the first book, The Gunslinger. It introduced readers to one of the series’ core characters, Roland of Gilead, on a quest to track an ominous character known as The Man in Black and find a place known as the Dark Tower. As he begins his quest, he encounters a woman named Alice and befriends a young boy named Jake, who soon becomes an integral part of Roland’s journey. Along the way, Roland and Jake meet other pivotal characters as they traverse alternate worlds. Moreover, King connects The Dark Tower series to his other work (and even makes an appearance himself).
Flanagan’s involvement in The Dark Tower adaptation is just one reason why it’s already such an anticipated project. For King fans — especially fans of the book series — the television adaptation is already shaping up to be just what the series needs. A movie adaptation of the series was first released in 2017, with Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey leading the charge. Despite the star power behind it, the movie failed to capture what makes the books stand out, instead creating an almost entirely new story. The Dark Tower series has already garnered more faith, thanks to Flanagan’s prior experience on projects such as Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Hill House, among others. Back in June, King himself also expressed approval for Flanagan’s adaptation.
As progress on The Dark Tower is paused for the time being, there is currently no projected release window. In the meantime, revisit our interview with Flanagan below:
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