A few weeks agoRon Howard, who had been developingThe Dark Towermovie for a very long time, confirmed that aDark Tower TV seriesbased on theStephen Kingbooks was still in development. Today, in honor ofStephen King’s birthday, the producers have confirmed that the show is indeed happening and that it will be based off of the fourth novel in the series,Wizard and Glass.
Entertainment Weekly got word from production company MRC andThe Dark Towermovie producer and co-screenwriter,Akiva Goldsmanthat the series is definitely happening, even though they have yet to find a home for it. MRC and Sony Pictures have already committed to 10 to 13 episodes of the show, depending on how the scripts shake out. The story ofWizard and Glassis very dark, so network television is out of the question. It will have to find a home on a cable network or a streaming service. MRC does have a good relationship with Netflix thanks toHouse of Cards, so that could be an option.
WhileThe Dark Towershow will have to do a lot of casting, the central cast members of the movie are expected to reprise their roles for the show as well.Idris Elba, who plays The Gunslinger in the movie, has already signed on for the series alongsideTom Taylor, who plays Jack Chamber in the movie.Matthew McConaughey, who plays the semi-immortal bad guy Walter in the movie, has not signed on for the show yet, but it is still a possibility he could join up.The Dark Toweris a sprawling series, but here is whatWizard and Glassis specifically about, via the description of the book on Amazon.
“Roland and his band of followers have narrowly escaped one world and slipped into the next. There Roland tells them a tale of long-ago love and adventure involving a beautiful and quixotic woman named Susan Delgado. And there they will be drawn into an ancient mystery of spellbinding magic and supreme menace…”
The Dark Towermovie has been confirmed to serve as a sequel to the novels byStephen King, so this series will be anything but filler. There is a lot of story to tell withinThe Dark Towerseries, which consists of eight books and a novella. So the interesting strategy to do a movie with a companion series will leave plenty of room for more movies and future season of the show, should consumers make it clear this is something they want to see more of.
Akiva Goldsmanwill serve as one of the executive producers, along withJeff Pinkner,Ron HowardandBrian Grazer. The movie’s director,Nikolaj Arcel, and co-writerAnders Thomas Jensen, are working on the script for the show and will also be executive producers. They are currently seeking a showrunner.The Dark TowerTV series will shoot next year with a plan for it to air in 2018, ideally around the time that the movie makes its way to cable and streaming services.The Dark Tower movieis set to hit theaters on August 24, 2025.
