Having not read not the ‘Dark Tower‘ series, much of the conversation about the changes that have been made to the narrative to accommodate the upcoming the film has gone over my head. And frankly, for most people buying tickets, the differences between the book and movie, and what starting point from Stephen King‘s book the filmmakers selected for their movie, won’t matter much. The movie, starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, will have to be good, first and foremost, regardless of whether you know the source material thoroughly or not. Still, there’s a lot of narrative to deal with, and a much-talked-about TV series intended as a companion to the planned sequels is now officially happening.
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Media Rights Capital will start production on “The Dark Tower” series, skipping the pilot stage, and committing to producing 10 to 13 episodes. There’s no word yet on the director or directors who will take it on; however, Idris Elba will reprise his role as Roland Deschain. Sort of. EW reveals that Elba, along with Tom Taylor (who plays Jake Chambers), will be part of a framing device for the series that will be set in the present day and center around a boy “who harbors a secret, psychic power and is grappling with visions of the tower and the men (and other creatures) who are trying to reach it.” Using the fourth ‘Dark Tower’ book “Wizard And Glass” as the source material for the show, another actor will play the young Roland in the main thread, while McConaughey has not yet committed to going to the small screen (but whether or not he does, the character is slated to feature regardless, and since Walter can take on other appearances, if he’s played by someone else, it wouldn’t be a big deal).
Again, this is all potentially great, but unless the movie works, all this ambition will be for naught. Moreover, with so much television to choose from these days, “The Dark Tower” will really have to be compelling to capture pop-culture attention the way its creators likely want it to.
Thoughts? Let us know below. “The Dark Tower” opens on February 17, 2017 with the TV show planned to air in 2018.