Dark Tower fans

That's really disappointing. With the talent they had involved, it was definitely going to be expensive, but I think it could have taken up the box office mantle of fans of "Lord of the Rings."

It was ambitious, bold and could have made Comcast billions (no overstatement, I don't think) across several platforms. The key would have been the first picture, much like "Star Wars." If they nailed the first one, fans would have line up with wallets out for everything that came after.

 

Now that production is well underway, thought I'd revive this thread. Howard won't direct, but Imagine Entertainment is releasing it with Sony. Screenplay by Akiva Goldsman is encouraging.

Idris Elba as Roland and Matthew McConaughey as The Man In Black are both excellent choices. If they eventually make the sequels, Elba's race will change the dynamic between Roland and Susannah, but I can live with that because he's a fantastic actor.

Entertainment Weekly has had strong coverage of the film. Looks like Eddie and Susannah won't appear in the first one, which isn't surprising. I don't think they appeared until the second novel, "The Drawing of the Three," anyway. First film has a budget of $60M and a February release date, so it looks like the studio is being exceptionally cautious with it. I hope the lack of budget and lousy release date don't doom its chances of success.

Interesting quote from Elba, on how he played Roland: "So we do takes that are a little bit more commercial, if you like, and we do takes that are fucking deep, like we’re making an independent film." I'll be curious to see how the character comes out on-screen.

Also, if the first film is a hit, they are also potentially planning a TV series, which will mostly cover the material from "Wizard and Glass." I think that would be a great treatment of Roland's backstory. It's interesting material, but it could bog down the films.

Anyway, if you're interested in the film, EW's coverage is well worth a look.

'The Dark Tower': Idris Elba on breathing fire into Stephen King's Gunslinger

 

First trailer:

 

Wow, that looks awesome. August release dates always worry me, but I'm excited for this.

 

I've never read the source material, but that looks really good.

 

Looks good but also looks like a significant departure from the books, doesn't it? IIRC, Roland and Jake are together only in Roland's world.

 

I have never reads these books, but I would check that out.

 

Pretty sure Roland came to Jake's world, perhaps in The Drawing of the Three, but I haven't read them in 15 years or so. I expect there will be several large departures from the books and a lot of condensation of material. They don't plan to film each of the seven books, so there's going to have to be some changes. I believe, for instance, Roland's back story - as told in "Wizard and Glass" - is largely planned to be told on a TV series.

OOP, it's a daunting series to get into for the sheer scale of it, but I highly recommend the books. King meanders at times, and even has the hubris to insert himself as a character after he was hit by that car years ago, but that's sort of bound to happen in a series that began in 1987 and was completed in 2004.

 

Okay ... wasn't sure how closely they were following. I'm hoping the characters from the second book make an appearance.

 

I've been meaning to pick it up for a long time, but never got around to it. It certainly seems like something I would enjoy.

 

The movie looks good -- much better than the books. I read the first three years ago and found them insufferable, the written version of a sound just droning on and on. I have no idea why I kept reading.

 

Now that already gives me pause.
I'd like to go see a movie, not a movie and a TV series.