Last time we checked in on the long-brewing ambitious adaptation of “The Dark Tower,” Ron Howard had been courting streaming giant Netflix but word at the time was to wait until all the madness surrounding season four of “Arrested Development” died down before seriously considering anything. And here we are, six months later, with news that seems to point to actual progress on the iconic Stephen King saga.
Stumping for “Hellion”at the Sundance Film Festival—read our review here—Aaron Paul spoke with Ain’t It Cool News (via Hey U Guys) about a series of meetings regarding a character that’s a fan favorite. Apparently, like many King fans who tuned into “Breaking Bad,” Howard thought Paul would be a canny fit for the former-heroin-addict-turned-gunslinger Eddie Dean, or as Paul put it: “I’ve had a ton of meetings on that. I just had a general sit down with Ron Howard, who is a huge fan of the show (‘Breaking Bad,’ naturally), which is such a crazy thing to even think that Ron Howard even knows who I am. They’re definitely planning on making it. I’m excited.”
And that’s not the only actor Howard’s been keeping up with, at least if Schmoes Know (via JoBlo) is to believed. According to the site’s source—meaning, taking this with a grain of salt—Liam Neeson “is interested” in taking on the project, presumably as the series’ lead Roland. The source also says that the “Rush” director “is going to make this with MRC and Imagine for around $60 million or so. And he’s likely doing this next. There’s going to be a TV series as well since it’s MRC and I’m thinking it may end up being at Netflix.” While we don’t doubt there is some actual movement happening on the project, we just can’t see how a potential franchise starter—Paul said “their goal is to do three films”—could make do with anything less than $60 million, even if Howard’s last film was independently financed for $38 million. Besides, as the past years have shown, everything is far from certain when it comes to “The Dark Tower.”
Thoughts? Do you want to see an Aaron Paul and Liam Neeson led “The Dark Tower”? Hit us up below.