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Dark Tower movie developments

edited February 2007 in Dark Tower
Stephen King and J.J. Abrams are in talks to bring King's "Dark Tower" book series to the screen. The screen's size, though, has yet to be determined. Abrams' Bad Robot shingle has a first-look deal at Paramount for film projects and a deal with Warner Bros. Television for TV projects. The project is not yet set up at either company. On first glance, King's tale -- which sprawls across seven books as it blends the fantasy, sci-fi, horror and Western genres -- might seem better suited for a multiple-episode television treatment. On the other hand, its potential cost might call for a large-scale cinematic treatment. Sources say a number of entities have been chasing "Tower" but that King is looking for strong filmmaker involvement, which is where Abrams enters the picture. It is unclear whether Abrams, who is repped by WMA, would take on the project solely as a producer or whether he would direct as well. But King hasn't been shy about admitting that he's a huge fan of Abrams' television series "Lost." In fact, he recently participated in a round-table for Entertainment Weekly with Abrams and "Lost" exec producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. During the course of the discussion, "Tower" was mentioned several times. Lindelof even brought along a rare first edition of "The Gunslinger," Book 1 of the "Tower" series, for King to sign. It all sounded like the sort of mutual admiration society that could lead to a genuine collaboration.
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Comments

  • Awesome! I do not know how they could pull off a live action version logistically. The time to film it all versus Jake's age throughout the series almost requires some form of animation. Aging Jake throughout the story would change the dynamics of the relationship between him and Roland too much, not to mention the others of the ka-tet.
  • The whole story takes place during approximately a one-year period from the time Roland reaches Tull to the end, so aging shouldn't be THAT much of an issue.



    This is still in the talking stage according to the article. I'm looking into it to see if it's "for real." Knowing a little about how Hollywood works, it could be years before anything happens.
  • Sorry, I was unclear in my previous post.



    I was thinking of a series of movies like the Potter films. If it is going to be a series of movies then the aging issue for Jake is a problem, unless they film them back to back, and how many movies 7, 6, 5..? I can't see any studio financing more than 3 films to be shot back to back at once.



    As a TV miniseries, shooting the whole story consecutively Jake's age wouldn't be as much of an issue.
  • Here is the original source of the story

    Who is Lost in The Dark Tower?

    IGN has the exclusive scoop here!

    by Stax

    February 13, 2007 - IGN has exclusively learned that J.J. Abrams is poised to direct The Dark Tower, based on the Stephen King literary series. Abrams' production company Bad Robot had "no comment" on the matter.



    Sources advised us that an official announcement is forthcoming. We have been unable to determine whether Dark Tower will be a film project or a TV miniseries, although the latter is a more likely prospect given the complex nature of King's seven-book series. Given Abrams' success on the small screen -- and King's well known love for the Abrams-produced TV series Lost -- the tube seems a better fit for The Dark Tower. That said, IGN now has reason to believe the project will be for the big-screen.



    Sources also added that Abrams is indeed only producing Star Trek XI. It was recently reported that Abrams would not direct Trek XI, as many had assumed, but would instead turn his attention to a secret Paramount project titled Cloverfield. Might Cloverfield be a codename for The Dark Tower? Or a completely separate project?



    (Interestingly enough, Entertainment Weekly did an interview last year with King, Abrams and his Lost producing partner Damon Lindelof, who reportedly brought a rare first edition of The Gunslinger to the meeting.)



    Often described as King's magnum opus, The Dark Tower, as Wikipedia reminds us, "tells the tale of lead character Roland Deschain's quest for the 'Dark Tower.' The Dark Tower is often described in the novels as a real structure, and also as a metaphor. Part of Roland's fictional quest lies in discovering the true nature of the Tower. The series incorporates themes from multiple genres, including fantasy fiction, science fantasy, horror, and western elements."



    "In the story, Roland is the last living member of a knightly order known as gunslingers. The world he lives in is quite different from our own, yet it bears striking similarities to it. Politically organized along the lines of a feudal society, it shares technological and social characteristics with the American Old West, as well as bearing magical powers and the relics of a highly advanced, but long vanished, society. Roland's quest is to find the Dark Tower, a fabled building said to either be, or be located at, the nexus of all universes. Roland's world is said to have 'moved on,' and indeed it appears to be coming apart at the seams — mighty nations are being torn apart by war, entire cities and regions vanish from the face of the earth without a trace, time does not flow in an orderly fashion; even the sun sometimes rises in the north and sets in the east. As the series opens, Roland's motives, goals, and even his age are unclear, though later installments shed light on these mysteries."



    This news about J.J. Abrams comes on the heels of Marvel's recent launch of the limited comic book series The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born.
  • King's response via his Message Board Moderator is that they are talking but nothing has been agreed upon at this point.
  • Further clarification from SK's MB: "I asked Steve for clarification on this and his response was that no deal has been finalized. If and when one is, it will be a 3 year option which he will sell them for $19. I can tell you from experience that there have been many times when an option has expired before a film is made so even an option doesn't mean it's a done deal. "
  • Wired News: Turning to your Stephen King project for a second, The Dark Tower wasn't well-received by most critics or even some die-hard Stephen King fans. What attracts you to the project?



    Abrams: This is something that we are just now talking about with Stephen, so it's too early for me to say that we're even officially doing it yet just because the thing is in the early stages of discussion. I love what the The Dark Tower is. Damon Lindelof is obsessed (with it). We met Stephen, who was just the greatest, and hit it off. What's exciting to me about it is that it is a very edgy epic. You could . . . say it's his Tolkien Ring series, but I feel like it has a potential of being a lot more. I think that sense of that great hero, that sort of Western, iconic, almost spaghetti-Western-type hero in this landscape is just an amazing -- it feels iconic to me.


  • The Dark Tower wasn't well-received by most critics
    ::)Prove it.
  • I was interviewed recently for this]www.lsureveille.com/media/storage/paper868/news/2007/03/22/Entertainment/lost-Creator.Tackles.dark.Tower-2786294.shtml]this article[/url] in the LSU Reveille. It's funny that I'm in Shreveport, Louisiana when it appeared!
  • Seven things we want from the Dark Tower movies
    • Respect for the Scope
    • Pedigree Behind the Camera
    • A New Face in Front of the Camera
    • An "R" Rating - No Dim Tower
    • Stephen King
    • Valued Drama Over Action
    • Hurry Up
  • Good article - I lean towards animation being the best approach to this.
  • Q: Have there been any developments with your rumored adaptation of Stephen King's Dark Tower series?



    A: The Dark Tower is to me every bit as daunting an adaptation as the Lord of the Rings trilogy must have been for Peter Jackson, except we've got seven books we're looking at. And the idea of doing that at the same time Carlton and I are bringing Lost to a close is simply not viable. There are always Dark Tower conversations, but the figuring out of what this will look like as a movie has not begun. If The Dark Tower were in the right hands, I would love to see seven movies executed just right. But you have to get people to see the first one to get them to come and see the second one.
  • Honestly, I'd rather not see a movie/movies come out for this. I would love to be pleasantly surprised if they were great and did the books justice but I can't help but think that they would not. This series is so epic... and I have seen peoples picks of who Roland would be and can't think of ANYONE who could make him come to life.
  • Yesterday I attended the german premiere of the new "Star Trek" movie (I.e. I didn't have tickets but watched the stars arrive on the blue [!] carpet.) and got handshakes and autographs by Bryan Burk and J.J. Abrams! :o

    I also exchanged a few words with them and asked them about the "Dark Tower"-movies. Mr Burk said something like "Soon. Not very soon, but soon!" Mr Abrams replied "... after LOST is done!"

    Only later did I realize that I immediately should have asked if that meant before or after "Cloverfield 2", the 12th "Star Trek" movie, etc. ... but I'd been to excited to think of it in time ... :-/
  • That's very cool -- I'd love to meet J.J. Abrams. You're right -- he seems to have a thousand things going on, and by the time LOST is finished, who knows what else will have caught his attention.
  • He seemed like a really nice guy: friendly, funny, patient and very down-to-earth.

    By the way, when asked by another fan what his next project would be, he replied: "Sleeping!" ;)

    But I do hope he and his team will eventually get around to doing "The Dark Tower" (If not, maybe Frank Darabont can have a go at it after all?) because I trust their vision as long as they'll hire Robin Furth as co-writer! :)

    Just imagine the soundtrack Michael Giacchino would deliver! *drools*
  • I wonder if anyone thinks that there are certain books that should not be made into movies? I mean, I can think of a few books that I don't see how anyone could make into a movie. I guess I am just cynical because I feel like the film format has messed up King's work before, numerous times, and this is (in my humble opinion) his masterpiece. I feel like I would be just as happy if The Dark Tower series were never made into movies. Of course there is the small chance they will make them and the movies will be utterly amazing in which case I guess I will be eating my words;)
  • Damon Lindelof Compares Challenge of Adapting ‘Dark Tower’ To Zack Snyder’s ‘Watchmen’



    As “Star Trek” makes its case for the new J.J. Abrams age of the franchise this weekend, he and fellow “Lost” creator Damon Lindelof continue to have early discussions about Stephen King’s cult series of books “The Dark Tower.” Lindelof confirmed Abrams’ assertion that “Lost” is priority number one at the moments, but said the project would require at least as much care as Zack Snyder’s adaptation of “Watchmen.”



    “Having seen Zack go through what he went through on ‘Watchmen’ in terms of saying of where can I digress from the material I just get headaches thinking about changing anything,” Lindelof told MTV News. “It was the defining literary tale of my young adulthood into adulthood.”



    Lindelof is keenly aware of how that level of attachment can affect his approach to the project. “My reverence for Stephen King is now getting in the way of what any good writer would do first when they’re adapting a book, which is take creative license in changing stuff,” he explained.



    If the Hollywood power duo indeed moves on to King’s fantasy/Western tale when they finish with “Lost” it may be an extended commitment in addition to being a demanding one, given the scope of the seven-book series.



    “Paramount is certainly looking at it as a franchise movie and thinking about sequels but we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves,” Lindelof said. “Ideas have been thrown around that are very informal at this point.”



    And more formal conversations very well may not be in the cards until the fates of Oceanic Flight 815’s passengers are firmly on the ground for the the “Lost” finale.


  • I loved reading that Deadbolt article, because it brought up a (somewhat) obscure name that had been dancing in my head in regards to a potential helmer: Alfonso Cuaron. I think he would bring a great amount of credibility, vision and directorial chops to the first few novels/pictures. Watching "Children of Men" gave me a lot of vibes from the early books, most notably The Wastelands. The dystopian settings, use of music, excellent pacing, choreographed action with restrained effects, it all made me think that Cuaron would do an admirable job as a DT director. And he could probably get a heck of a performance out of his "Children of Men" star, Clive Owen, as Roland. But thats another topic for another day. ;)
  • Stephen King's The Dark Tower Coming to Theaters & TV

    Stephen King, Imagine Entertainment and Weed Road are in talks to create a movie trilogy and TV series based on King's "The Dark Tower" series. Universal Pictures is in talks to distribute.



    Ron Howard will direct from a script by Akiva Goldsman. Howard's Imagine Entertainment partner Brian Grazer will produce with Goldsman and King.
  • 'Dark Tower' by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Akiva Goldsman (exclusive)



    By Borys Kit and Ace Fernandez



    J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot shingle, which has long sought to crack Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower” book series as a television series, no longer has the rights to one of the author’s biggest properties.



    Bad Robot has returned the rights back to the best-selling author. Now Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Akiva Goldsman are teaming up to tackle the fantasy Western.



    The three are in discussions on a scenario that would see an adaptation begin as a movie, to be written by Goldsman and directed by Howard, that would lead to a TV series produced by Imagine’s small-screen division.





    “Tower” is not set up, nor has any option deal been made, but insiders say Universal, home to Imagine, would be the studio that will release the movie.



    That would be a contrast to the vision drawn up by Bad Robot, which had been eyeing their potential series as a reunion with “Lost” exec producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. Because of the comprehensive nature of the project, the creators wanted to wait until “Lost” was over to give it their attention. When they realized they wouldn't be able to do an adaptation justice, they gave the rights back to King.



    King’s magnum opus, “Tower” encompasses not just a narrative about the Man in Black and Roland, the Gunslinger, that spans seven lengthy books (and one short story), but also the entire universe of King’s fiction. Characters from his other novels flit in and out of “Tower” in minor and major ways.



    Envisioned when King was still in his teens as his own take on spaghetti Westerns and the world of Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings,” “Tower” has also spawned a series of graphic novels from Marvel Comics, with the latest issue hitting shelves May 19. The property’s expansive nature and direct connection to King’s other works make it one of the biggest, ripest franchise possibilities in entertainment.
  • A movie and TV series? Interesting approach.



    Number one issue for me has been how they will handle Jake's age over the 7 books. Whomever they cast will grow out of the role. I suspect Jake may become a teenager to get around this.
  • Here's the scoop directly from King regarding the proposed project:

    "It looks good. Things are happening and they are happening fast but any reports you see might be taken with a grain of salt for the next couple of weeks. You will know the news from the official source as soon as we are able to post it."





    Steve

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