When Mike Flanagan offered Stephen King followers with an replace about his adaptation of The Darkish Tower earlier this yr, he preached the advantage of endurance. Throughout a podcast interview, he expressed nothing however pleasure concerning the mission, however he added that he’s keen to attend for the business to inform him when the time is true for him to make it. Now, lower than half a yr later, he is saying that it could find yourself being his high precedence as soon as the on-going WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes come to an finish, and his optimism is so highly effective that it is really managing to present me nervousness.
Mike Flanagan is the visitor on this week’s episode of The Kingcast, and whereas many of the dialog is concerning the Stephen King novel Dolores Claiborne and its adaptation from director Taylor Hackford, the filmmaker additionally offered an replace about his imaginative and prescient for The Darkish Tower. Nothing is presently taking place with it due to the aforementioned labor stoppages, however there was evidently sufficient progress made with it within the spring that he expects it to be a key focus when the strikes are resolved. Mentioned Flanagan,
I really feel actually good about the place we’re. Oddly, the place we’re for the time being is totally frozen due to the strike. However we had an exquisite spring with it, and we’re making monumental progress on the mission, and I’ve each cause to consider that on the opposite facet of the strike, it’s gonna be precedence one.
It was in December 2022 that Mike Flanagan first introduced he had acquired the rights to Stephen King’s Darkish Tower books – and he envisions a direct translation of the beloved sequence, in contrast to the 2017 movie that was unrecognizable to King’s Fixed Readers. Mixing western, science-fiction, fantasy, and horror genres, the story facilities on an growing older gunslinger named Roland Deschain who lives in a desolate universe known as Mid-World and is ever questing to The Darkish Tower, a monolith that stands on the heart of all realities.
It has not been explicitly mentioned what medium we are able to anticipate to see The Darkish Tower in – both movies or tv or a mixture of each – however it will appear that particulars are being ironed out and issues are progressing. Mike Flanagan did not supply any specifics or identify any names, however he talked about that there are “companions” concerned and that conversations are being had with actors. He added,
We now have nice companions on it that I can’t discuss, and we’ve got some actually thrilling actors circling it that I can’t discuss, and we’ve got some actually, probably groundbreaking approaches to the filmmaking of it that I simply can’t actually discuss, so there’s a bunch of stuff that very frustratingly for your whole listeners, I can’t discuss.
It is true that the shortage of specifics is irritating, however that “probably groundbreaking approaches to the filmmaking” half is basically the place my nervousness kicks in – and it purely has to do with being burned earlier than. Followers will keep in mind that there was a time when NBC Common had its personal “groundbreaking” strategy to creating The Darkish Tower involving a mixture of film and TV exhibits. These bold plans have been brimming with potential… however then the entire enterprise fell into growth hell and the top results of the entire thing was the aforementioned 2017 catastrophe.
What actually helps to quell trauma-induced concern is the extreme dedication of Mike Flanagan, who has mentioned repeatedly that he views The Darkish Tower as his private dream mission. The filmmaker had some worries of his personal concerning the mission in latest months, as he feared that the strikes would finish his mission’s ahead progress, however he evidently has his causes to not stress about that:
What I can say is that my fears that any momentum we had developed was gonna be obliterated; I don’t actually fear about that. I believe we’re in a wholesome place and we’re in fact in solidarity with WGA and SAG[-AFTRA]. As soon as these extra quick wants are taken care of and everybody’s again to work, I believe that’s the place I’m going to instantly deploy.
As famous by Mike Flanagan, we cannot hear any substantial updates about The Darkish Tower adaptation till the labor dispute is labored out between the writers, the actors and the studios – nevertheless it appears like thrilling occasions are forward. Within the meantime, you possibly can study the entire King-related initiatives which might be within the works with our Upcoming Stephen King Motion pictures and TV information, take a look at our picks for the perfect Stephen King movies of all time (two Flanagan titles are on the checklist), and be taught concerning the full historical past of King diversifications with my Adapting Stephen King column.
