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Dark Tower to Become Movie Trilogy AND TV Show

This is huge.

   I hope they bring on Jae Lee and all the artists who've illustrated the books for this.
 I hope they bring on Jae Lee and all the artists who've illustrated the books for this.

You can’t get much bigger than this. Stephen King’s DARK TOWER has been described by many, including King himself, as a latter-day answer to THE LORD OF THE RINGS. So it’s appropriate that this long-in-development movie deal for the series would ultimately rival, if not outright outdo, the ambition of the LOTR film trilogy. Deadline’s saying that Ron “Opie” Howard and Akiva Goldsman are finally getting to go ahead with both a planned movie trilogy and a two-season-long TV show adapting the books. Prior to this, J.J. Abrams and his LOST pals had been working on a treatment after famously getting the rights from King for 19 bucks but, obviously,  that didn’t work out.

It’s the second season of the TV show that’s going to be most relevant to fans of those DT comics Marvel’s been putting out over the last few years. The release schedule’s going to consist of  three movies coming out over three years, with the TV seasons filling the time in between. They haven’t specific just how the series will be broken up over all of these, but they have said that season #2 will explore Roland’s reckless youth as it's been detailed in WIZARD & GLASS and in the comics. == TEASER ==

I'm big fan of all things DARK TOWER. Putting on the fantasy producer's hat, were I to divvy this all up, I'd probably have the first movie adapt the GUNSLINGER, use the first season to cover DRAWING OF THE THREE and THE WASTELANDS, have the second movie encompass WOLVES OF THE CALLA and the non-flashback sections of WIZARD & GLASS and then save SONG OF SUSANNAH and the last book for the final movie.  

Anyway, even though Howard’s trying to get to working on this as soon as possible now, I’m sure it’s going to be a long while before we get any kind of casting announcements. Who would you Comic Vine maniacs want to see play the legendary Roland Deschain?

Tom Pinchuk’s the writer of  HYBRID BASTARDS!  &   UNIMAGINABLE. Order them on Amazon  here  & here.

21 Comments

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DXmagma

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Edited By DXmagma

this will either be REALLY really good, or horrifyingly bad.

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BuddyBulson

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Edited By BuddyBulson

" I'm big fan of all things DARK TOWER. Putting on the fantasy producer's hat, were I to divvy this all up, I'd probably have the first movie adapt the GUNSLINGER, use the first season to cover DRAWING OF THE THREE and THE WASTELANDS, have the second movie encompass WOLVES OF THE CALLA and the non-flashback sections of WIZARD & GLASS and then save SONG OF SUSANNAH and the last book for the final movie."
 
Now i have never read Dark Tower, and I would like to but all this just confused the hell out of me to a point where i wouldnt know where to begin!
 

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JarJarMinks

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Edited By JarJarMinks

Good time to re-read the series, it's been awhile for me.  Gotta rethink my fantasy cast now that Eastwood is too old to play the part realistically.  First name that pops to mind would be Michael Biehn, I remember thinking about Roland as I watched him play Johnny Ringo in Tombstone.

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Chaos Burn

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Edited By Chaos Burn

could someone do a Dark Tower for Dummies for me please?!

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SumoSlamMan

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Edited By SumoSlamMan

Gosh Roland?  He's so huge in my mind.  I don't think anyone they pick could every totally do it for me but I think Hugh Laurie from House... I mean he's long, tall, and ugly right?  Nah, never mind.  That is a good question.

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Ban_Dark

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Edited By Ban_Dark

i heard alot about DK but never read it except some of the comic issues and i liked the concept. in matter of fact, i like everything The Stephen King have written and am looking forward to read it.

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OrionStarlancer

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Edited By OrionStarlancer

I'm super excited and super worried all at once.

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skaarason

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Edited By skaarason

so this series is somthing i should pick up ?

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Bruce Vain

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Edited By Bruce Vain

I hope Tom Jane gets the part of Roland
 
He's a big fan of the books & wants to play him.
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DeathinFire

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Edited By DeathinFire
@Chaos Burn said:

"could someone do a Dark Tower for Dummies for me please?!"  

  
Probably not but I'll try.  Roland (the Gunslinger) is the last of an order similar to knights who run around with 6 shooters in some weird fantasy world involving mutiple dimensions all connected to this "Dark Tower".  It's a story of Roland (and his friends) quest to reach the Tower and do God knows what to make everything right again.  Sort of.    
   
@DXmagma said:

"this will either be REALLY really good, or horrifyingly bad. "


That pretty much sums it up. 
 
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mistrx75

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Edited By mistrx75

Guess I'll have to finish the series, now.

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jakob187

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Edited By jakob187
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Mediant

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Edited By Mediant

I am extremely excited. When I first read ther series i thought it'd be a pipe dream to ever get film or tv adaptations of it. Now it looks like it will actually happen. 
I think it would be near impossible to make Song of Susannah and the Dark Tower into one film. That would be nearly 1,500 pages compressed into at least 2 hours. There would have to be some serious (and disappointing) cutting.

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dan1509

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Edited By dan1509

Mark my words, they will FUCK this up :(

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keoskey

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Edited By keoskey

Hope Hollywood don't Mess this one up

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Darkchild

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Edited By Darkchild

Can i just say AWESOME!!! 
 
also 
 
@dan1509 said:

" Mark my words, they will FUCK this up :( "
agreed they probably will but i hope they dont
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NightFang3

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Edited By NightFang3
@DXmagma said:
" this will either be REALLY really good, or horrifyingly bad. "
             Yeah, but i'm hoping it's good!
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Kyle C

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Edited By Kyle C

HOLY SHIT!! I've been waiting for this news for years!!!
 
This is so great! I'm speechless! I have no speech!
 
Oh wait! Now I remember what I wanted to comment on. I know it's too much to ask that J.R. Flynn, the composer of the The Gunslinger: The Score, be involved somehow, but I hope the soundtrack sounds similar if nothing else. If you're a DT fan, at least buy and listen to the first track, "Fanfare (Roland's Theme)". It's PERFECT.

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Kyle C

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Edited By Kyle C
@DeathinFire said:
" @Chaos Burn said:

"could someone do a Dark Tower for Dummies for me please?!"  

  
 "
So basically... no. It's impossible describe.
 
Just go read The Gunslinger. It's like 250 pages. After the last chapter you'll either be hooked enough to finish the entire thing or know for sure that you don't care at all.
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Eyz

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Edited By Eyz

Couldn't they have Abrams back?! And just a tv show?!
This movie+show deal doesn't sound that...well thought.. I mean do they expect the general random movie-goers to know or watch the show in-between?!

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RitzaCakes

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Edited By RitzaCakes

The dark tower is incredibly epic. If they're making just 3 movies then they will have to be as long as lord of the rings. I feel that there will be way to much cutting and skipping with just 3 movies. Hollywood has to be very careful or they will destroy it. Clint Eastwood was always the one I saw in my mind as I read the books but Viggo Mortensen or Hugh Jackman could suffice as a respectable gunslinger of Gilead.