NEWS - THE DARK TOWER

Why Abrams & Lindelof Didn’t Do The Dark Tower

Posted: February 21, 2020, 22:12
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Screenrant writes about why JJ Abrams and Damon Lindelof never did The Dark Tower.

Abrams and Lindelof were exhausted after Lost and didn't want to take the time to make The Dark Tower, but that might say more about The Dark Tower than it does Lost. The Dark Tower series was finished, everything was laid out and ready to go, but the two biggest creators in town didn't want to take the job.

Howard Admits Mistakes In Dark Tower Adaptation

Posted: May 31, 2019, 20:08
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In an interview with Collider Ron Howard admits mistakes The Dark Tower movie.

“I think it should’ve been horror. I think that it landed in a place—both in our minds and the studio’s—that it could be PG-13 and sort of a boy’s adventure… I really think we made a mistake not—I mean I’m not sure we could’ve made this movie, but I think if we could’ve made a darker, more hard-boiled look and make it The Gunslinger’s character study more than Jake. I think in retrospect that would’ve been more exciting. We always felt like we were kind of holding back something, and I think at the end of the day it was that.”

He also think that starting on TV would have been a good idea...

“The other thing might’ve been to just straight-on tackle it as television first. Disappointing because I poured a lot of myself into it, and sometimes this happens on these projects where everybody’s best intentions—you’re all pulling in a direction, and then you sort of say, ‘Was that the right direction?’ And I wouldn’t say it was all compromise. I do think it was just a sense of maybe too much listening to what you think that the marketplace is calling for instead of the essence of what Stephen King was giving us.”

The Dark Tower Out On DVD October 31

Posted: September 20, 2017, 09:38
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The Dark Tower will be released digitaly on October 17 and on 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD October 31.

The Dark Tower Blu-ray is loaded with bonus material, including deleted scenes, a blooper reel and “A Look Through the Keyhole,” which features three vignettes narrated by Roland and The Man in Black. Also included are five behind-the-scenes featurettes that capture the imagination of fans. The filmmakers and Stephen King reveal the plot points that allowed the film to pay tribute to everything great about Stephen King’s novels while making it a whole new experience for fans in “Last Time Around.” Fans step inside the fully realized sets and locations that play host to the physical embodiment of Stephen King’s Mid-World in “The World Has Moved On …”. For “The Man in Black,” Matthew McConaughey takes the audience inside his perceptions and process for portraying the villain Walter, aka The Man in Black. Fans go behind the scenes and inside the stunt team’s process for creating the action-packed battles in “The Gunslinger in Action”. Stephen King discusses the journey from his book series to screen in “Stephen King Inspirations.”


Thanks to Lou Sytsma

No More Dark Tower For Arcel

Posted: August 16, 2017, 08:24
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In an interview with Swedish HD Nikolaj Arcel says he won’t be doing any more Dark Tower movies. This however don’t mean that there won’t be more Dark Tower, just that if there are Arcel won’t be directing them.

Promoting The Dark Tower

Posted: August 2, 2017, 04:24
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The promotion for The Dark Tower is on...

Idris Elba on GMA

Idris Elba on Live with Kelly and Ryan

Idris Elba on Access Hollywood

Idris Elba on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey on Access Hollywood

Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey on MovieTickets.com

Matthew McConaughey on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Matthew McConaughey on GMA

Matthew McConaughey on Live with Kelly

Cast at the screening

Promoting The Dark Tower

Posted: August 1, 2017, 09:42
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Here are two interesting articles from IndieWire.

The Dark Tower’ Director Says Television Series Will Be ‘Totally Canon
The Dark Tower’: How the Film Adaptation Will End Stephen King’s Saga With One ‘Last Journey

The movie is only 3 days away in the US and everyone is doing promotion for it. There was a special screening in New York yesterday. Matthew McConaughey visited The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Idris Elba visited Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show.

Here is also a clip of Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba talking The Dark Tower

Highlights From Nik Arcel's Ask Me Anything

Posted: July 20, 2017, 11:49
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Yesterday Nik Arcel did a ”Ask Me Anything” session over at Reddit. I have collected the three most interesting questions here for you in case you missed it. And if you want to check out the entire thing you can do so here.

Someone asked what books the move was based on:
The first novel, The Gunslinger, and the third one, The Wastelands. I love the first one for its effectiveness as an introduction to the world and its simplicity in focusing on the characters of Roland, Jake, and Walter. And The Wastelands, we drew most of the inspiration for Jake's story. Even if the film brings in ideas from several of the novels, these are the two from which our main inspirations spring.

Someone asked about the rest of the Ka-tet and how they would solve the racial tension between Detta and Roland:
Yes absolutely! As I think it will be pretty obvious to the fans when they see the film, the whole Ka-tet is poised to meet in the next movie...if we're lucky enough to be able to make one.
We've definitely thought a lot about the racial tension between Detta and Roland and how casting Idris would affect that. I can't spoil anything, but we're definitely not going to leave this important theme unaddressed. And oh yeah, of course we're going to have Billy-Bumblers - and Oy's one of my favorite characters.

Someone asked about the 95 minute length of the movie:
This film really serves as an introduction to the saga and I've always felt that we should not try to cram every single part of the massive mythology, including all the great characters and storylines, into one film. Obviously the story is supposed to continue in future films and the TV series. Hopefully at the end of it all there won't be a single thing from the novels that we haven't touched upon in some way.

New Dark Tower Trailer Soon

Posted: July 7, 2017, 16:24
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Looks like we might get a new Dark Tower trailer soon.

A new trailer for The Dark Tower has been classified ahead of release.

Trailer Track reports that a second trailer is classified for release and, in a change from most second trailers, it’s not just the same footage we’ve already had, but rather it offers a brand new look at the movie. At 90 seconds long, it’s not excessive, but it is something, and it might go some way to appeasing the worries some King fans have over the movie.

The movie is rumored to be just 85 minutes.

Screen Rant.

Dark Tower Movie Vinimates Tracker Vinyl Figure

Posted: June 9, 2017, 15:46
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The Dark Tower Movie Vinimates Tracker Vinyl Figure


The highly anticipated film adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series now has an ultra-secret Vinimates vinyl figure! This 4-inch figure of one of the Tracker creatures from the film features an articulated neck for different posing options and comes in a full-color window box. Limited to 1500 pieces. $10

Cujo To The Dark Tower Came...

Posted: May 24, 2017, 15:25
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Most of you have seen The Dark Tower trailer and most of you also saw the references to The Shining and IT. Now King reveals that Cujo will make an appearance in the movie.

King told IGN , "If viewers who are familiar with my work look very closely, they might see Cujo. Keep an eye out for Cujo in New York City."

Cover For The Dark Tower: The Art of the Film

Posted: May 22, 2017, 09:32
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Here is the cover for The Dark Tower: The Art of the Film by Daniel Wallace.


The Dark Tower: The Art of the Film
(Part of The Dark Tower)
By Daniel Wallace
This deluxe, illustrated official companion to the Dark Tower movie—based on Stephen King’s bestselling seven volume series—explores the art and creation of this extraordinary film, starring Idris Elba as The Gunslinger and Matthew McConaughey as his nemesis, The Man in Black.

A gorgeous celebration of the art and creation of the Dark Tower movie, The Making of the Dark Tower includes interviews with actors and the director, the costume designer, and the set designer. From revealing how casting found the stars and the photography team scouted key locations, thoughts on where the Dark Tower can go from here, the book is organized into five parts.

Part I: The Path to the Tower discusses the origins of the saga and its thematic and cultural influences. Part II: The Gunslinger and the Man in Black profiles the two characters as two opposing forces. Part III: Mid-World is a journey through the bizarre wasteland of interdimensional detritus that is Mid-World. Part IV: Keystone World might be our Earth, but the Keystone World of the Dark Tower universe is also rocked by quakes and stretched thin by interdimensional stress. Part V: The Dark Tower is the wrap-up section collecting insights from the film’s major players, sharing their favorite memories and looking back on the journey that led them to this point.

Over three decades ago Stephen King introduced readers to Roland Deschain, the last Gunslinger. In 2003 King wrote the last of seven novels in the Dark Tower series. Now fans of the book and of the movie will welcome this big, beautiful, full-color book that they’ll need for their collections.

Dark Tower Figures And What They Will Cost

Posted: May 6, 2017, 15:00
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Here are some better images of The Dark Tower figures will be released later this year and their price. The first two figures are of the "statue" type that you can't move and the last two have moving joints.

The Dark Tower Gallery Gunslinger (Roland Deschain) $39.99

The Dark Tower Gallery Man in Black $39.99

The Dark Tower Select Gunslinger (Roland Deschain) $22.99

The Dark Tower Select Man in Black $22.99

It's Trailertime

Posted: May 5, 2017, 19:54
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OK, the weekend is here. You’re at home taking it easy after a week’s work. What could be better than having a Stephen King trailer Marathon? Or at least 7 minutes of trailers? I guessed so. Here you go: The Mist (June 22), The Dark Tower (August 4) and IT (September 8).







Idris Elba Talks The Dark Tower

Posted: May 4, 2017, 06:31
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Here is an interview with Idris Elba about The Dark Tower.

Yes, I want the fans to be satisfied by the character I portray especially since the characters are so well written in the book. However the wonderful thing with being an actor in film is that I am able to interpret the character and I hope the fans are proud of our interpretation.

Matthew McConaughey Talks The Dark Tower

Posted: May 4, 2017, 04:22
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Here is an interview with Matthew McConaughey about The Dark Tower.

“He and I spoke quite lyrically,” McConaughey said when we asked what he took from those conversations with King. “[We spoke] about how Walter has the world by a string and he always has a half-cocked smile on his face about it. There’s an enjoyment that comes with his puppeteering. He sees himself as the minister of truth.”

And it looks like the plans for a TV show is moving on. When asked if he would be involved with the planned Dark Tower TV show this is what he said:

Yes, I am somewhat involved, but to what extent we’re still figuring that out.


King Talks Trailers and Castle Rock

Posted: May 3, 2017, 23:59
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King talks The Dark Tower trailer, IT trailer and what would happen to him if he revealed anything about the upcoming Hulu show Castle Rock he's doing with JJ Abrams.

I have some ideas about how it’s going to play out, but I think JJ Abrams would cut my tongue out if I said anything about it.

Read the full interview here.

Shining & IT Nods in The Dark Tower Trailer

Posted: May 3, 2017, 16:01
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I heard this from a lot of fans who watched the trailer for The Dark Tower today and Dread Central posted the photos...

Did you catch the nods to The Shining and IT? Did you find others?


A framed photo of the Overlook Hotel from Jake's therapist’s office.


A weathered, broken down, dilapidated wagon that bears the name “Pennywise” and what looks like a few balloons.

The Dark Tower Trailer Confirmed For Tomorrow

Posted: May 2, 2017, 14:57
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Sony Philippines has announced that The Dark Tower trailer is set to be released tomorrow and instead of the usual trailer tease they have released three motion posters featuring Idris Elba (Roland Deschain), Matthew McConaughey (The Man in Black) and Tom Taylor (Jake Chambers).






Thanks to Lou Sytsma

The Dark Tower Trailer

Posted: May 2, 2017, 08:44
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According to a document sent out to movie theatres Sony didn't direct theaters to attach the The Dark Tower trailer to anything specific movie so keep your eyes open when you go to the movies this weekend.

The Dark Tower Movie Figures

Posted: April 24, 2017, 16:26
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Here are some photos from the Diamond Select Toys booth at this weekend's C2E2 convention which is taking place in Chicago. It seems they are developing a few 7” figures for The Dark Tower movie. Please note that these figures are pending licensor approval so they could be changed in time for their release but should give you an idea of what to expect.





And here are more photos of the figures we saw earlier.



Thanks to Lou Sytsma

The Dark Tower Moves To August

Posted: March 31, 2017, 08:24
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The Dark Tower movie has been pushed forward one week and will now premier August 4.

In The Dark Tower, the mythical, shadowy edifice they’re chasing is also elusive. It exists in a trans-dimensional state, and pinning it down to a specific time and place can be difficult.

The same is true of the movie. It just moved back another week, to Aug. 4.

But now, EW has learned The Dark Tower is indeed abandoning the July 28 date, switching places with Sony’s animated The Emoji Movie.

A Sony spokesperson says the studio “will not move” the date again and that this latest one-week push was done to give The Emoji Movie “more summertime play” before school returns to session and less to do with The Dark Tower, which won’t be as reliant on young viewers.

Sources tell EW a trailer release is imminent, so stay tuned as we prepare to join Roland in our journey to the tower.

Recaps Of The Dark Tower Clip

Posted: March 28, 2017, 20:35
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Quint saw the first Dark Tower footage at CinemaCon and says it's kind of a fuckin' bummer. Read his thoughts here.

I hope my nervousness surrounding this footage is unfounded and let me tell you that there'll be no one happier than me if I leave that theater at the end of July with a big ol' grin on my face, but based on the few minutes I saw today I'm less optimistic of that happening than I was before.


Here is another recap from Gizmodo and one from Hollywood Reporter.

Thanks to Lou Sytsma

The Dark Tower Poster In The Wild

Posted: March 24, 2017, 08:55
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Thanks to Bryant Burnette we can now see The Dark Tower movie poster hanging at an actual movie theatre. How cool is that. This is finally happening!


It also confirms that the first one we saw was cut at the bottom. Here we can clearly see that Roland and Jake are in fact standing on something.


It also shows that the top of the first poster we saw was also cut. The difference here isn’t as big but it shows more of the ground.




Thanks to Bryant Burnette.

Dark Tower Music Released! Trailer Next?

Posted: February 14, 2017, 10:43
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Now you can listen to the song from the trailer to The Dark Tower on Spotify or Amazon.

So, what does this mean? That a trailer will soon be out? Hopefully but we really don't know. It is about time though. Keep checking back and we'll update you when we know more.


Thanks to Lou Sytsma

Dark Tower Toy Figures

Posted: January 25, 2017, 23:46
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Here are the first Dark Tower toys. Both figures will be released from Diamond Toys in July and sold for $9.99. You can get yours here.

A Diamond Select Toys release! May your days be long upon the Earth, and may you have plenty of Vinimates! Anticipation for the film adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower is at an all-time high, and DST is tackling the new film with a line of Vinimates vinyl figures! These 4-inch designer figures of the Gunslinger and the Man in Black are based on the upcoming film, striking poses straight from the movie, and sculpted in the Minimates block-figure style. Both feature articulated necks for further posing options. Each comes packaged in a full-color window box.




Will you be getting one?

Thanks to Lou Sytsma

Matthew McConaughey Talks Dark Tower

Posted: December 31, 2016, 11:05
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Here is an interview with Matthew McConaughey. Matthew talks about why he picked The Dark Tower over Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and he says "We’ve done the first one" maybe implying they'll do more, perhaps they're talking film 2 now, who knows...
Thanks to Douglas Dowie

The Making of the Dark Tower: The Art of the Film

Posted: December 7, 2016, 08:44
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This book looks more and more interesting if you ask me...

The Making of the Dark Tower
The Art of the Film
By Daniel Wallace

This deluxe, illustrated official companion to the Dark Tower movie—based on Stephen King’s bestselling seven volume series—explores the art and creation of this extraordinary film, starring Idris Elba as The Gunslinger and Matthew McConaughey as his nemesis, The Man in Black.

A gorgeous celebration of the art and creation of the Dark Tower movie, The Making of the Dark Tower includes interviews with actors and the director, the costume designer, and the set designer. From revealing how casting found the stars and the photography team scouted key locations, thoughts on where the Dark Tower can go from here, the book is organized into five parts.

Part I: The Path to the Tower discusses the origins of the saga and its thematic and cultural influences. Part II: The Gunslinger and the Man in Black profiles the two characters as two opposing forces. Part III: Mid-World is a journey through the bizarre wasteland of interdimensional detritus that is Mid-World. Part IV: Keystone World might be our Earth, but the Keystone World of the Dark Tower universe is also rocked by quakes and stretched thin by interdimensional stress. Part V: The Dark Tower is the wrap-up section collecting insights from the film’s major players, sharing their favorite memories and looking back on the journey that led them to this point.

Over three decades ago Stephen King introduced readers to Roland Deschain, the last Gunslinger. In 2003 King wrote the last of seven novels in the Dark Tower series. Now fans of the book and of the movie will welcome this big, beautiful, full-color book that they’ll need for their collections.

Do A Shine Test In Sombra App

Posted: December 3, 2016, 02:40
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The Sombra app got an update today and if you go to the employees section (and login) you can now take a "Shine test".


How td you login then you might ask? Well, I got this receipt when I got my copy of Charlie the Choo Choo at The Manhattan Restaurant of the Mind.

Interview With Dark Tower's Katheryn Winnick

Posted: November 18, 2016, 05:12
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Here is a short interview with Katheryn Winnick who star in the upcoming Dark Tower movie. Winnick’s character hasn’t been revealed yet but during the conference call she came close to accidentally letting it slip.

“I play a character that’s in the novels as well,” offered Winnick. “I assume I’m not allowed to talk about who I play. (Laughing) I was this/close about giving it away! That was almost a massive slip-up. But I will say this, I have some great scenes with Matthew McConaughey who I love working with. I worked with him years and years ago on Failure to Launch – one of my very first movies. So, it was nice to reunite with him. He plays a very interesting character.”

Thanks to Lou Sytsma

The Dark Tower Film Postponed

Posted: November 3, 2016, 16:41
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Entertainment Weekly reported today that the filmversion of The Dark Tower, originally set to premier February 17 now has been pushed forward to Summer 2017.

Principal photography for the Nikolaj Arcel-directed film wrapped on schedule in late July, but the plan to have a completed film ready to screen six months later proved to be overly ambitious. Now, Sony Pictures and production company MRC have decided post-production can’t be finished in that timeframe and are about to inform theater owners of the change.

Sources close to the movie tell EW it’s a matter of needing deadline extensions on the visual effects, as well as more lead-up to promote the film.

Only four months from release, there’s still no trailer. And the film recently dropped out of EW’s PopFest a week before the fan gathering, with the studio indicating the footage set to be previewed wasn’t ready. Ever since, fans have been speculating that the movie might be wavering on its February target.

A new release date wasn’t available, the sources said, because a new weekend hasn’t been selected yet. A formal announcement is expected as soon as that’s settled.

Read the article here.

Book About The Dark Tower Movie

Posted: October 18, 2016, 09:24
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A book with the title The Making of the Dark Tower: The Art of the Film will be released by Scribner in January 2017. Not much info about it has been released so we can only guess what it is but it sounds interesting. More info as soon as we get it.

Pre-order your copy here.

Thanks to Hans von Wirth

Ron Howard on Directing The Dark Tower

Posted: October 13, 2016, 07:44
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Will Ron Howard step back behind the camera to direct film in The Dark Tower series? Here is his answer:

“I'm in the role of executive producer. [Director] Nick Arcel has done a terrific job on the [first] movie. I really... I've just recently seen a first cut, so he's still hard at work on it. But it's really impressive. He's done a great job. Stephen King is really happy with what he's read, and knows about. And we do hope to take it on into television and, you know, I love that world. I love that universe. So I can't make any commitments, but I've stayed with that project all of these years for a real reason, and I hope to be as close to it as I can be.”


Thanks to Lou Sytsma

The Dark Tower Trailer Leaked

Posted: October 10, 2016, 21:15
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An unfinished version of the trailer for The Dark Tower surfaced earlier today on Internet. Some of the FX was missing and the quality wasn’t the best but it gave you an idea of what to expect. Most links isn’t working any longer (removed by request of Sony) and for that reason I’m not posting any links here on Lilja’s Library but I’m sure you can find one by Google it.

First Dark Tower Footage at EW's Popfest

Posted: August 15, 2016, 22:48
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First footage from The Dark Tower will be shown at Entertainment Weekly's POPFEST.

Entertainment Weekly is proud to present POPFEST – the ultimate pop culture event of the year!
From October 29-30, 2016, The Reef in Downtown LA will come to life with our first-ever festival showcasing the biggest names and most exciting acts in entertainment – including a very special screening of the very first footage from the film adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower.

For more info, visit their webiste: http://ewpopfest.com

The Dark Tower Wraps Production

Posted: July 22, 2016, 17:22
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The Dark Tower wraps production after 15 weeks.

According to Jo Blo, production on the upcoming film adaptation of Stephen King’s novels has finally come to completion. Filming took place for 15 weeks and began in South Africa in April 2016. Some scenes were also shot in New York City.

Secret Entertainment Weekly Cover

Posted: July 19, 2016, 20:43
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Entertainment Weekly have a surprice for you. It seems that their Dark Tower cover has a secret.

Here’s how it works:

Start by downloading the app from TheSombraGroup.com for Apple or Android. (It will come in handy in the future for other things as well.)

Sombra, as readers of The Dark Tower know, is the friendly-looking business front in our world for the followers of The Crimson King, a chaos god who wants to collapse the Tower that stands at the nexus of all reality.

This conglomerate blends the magic of other realms with the technology of our own, opening portals between dimensions and allowing mortals to see things that would normally be hidden from view.

With the Sombra app engaged, turn the camera to your copy of EW’s Dark Tower cover and watch what happens.

Thanks to Lou Sytsma

Confirmations About Dark Tower Movie (SPOILERS)

Posted: July 14, 2016, 22:02
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Here is the third part of Entertainment Weekly's coverage of The Dark Tower. In this article we find out what the film changes and keeps from King's books. They confirm that the movie is a sequel to the book and not an adaptation. The article also confirm that Eddie and Susannah won't be in the movie but if there is a sequel (depending on how successful this first movie is) they will.


Read the entire article here.

Entertainment Weekly Goes Dark Tower

Posted: July 14, 2016, 17:12
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Entertainment Weekly will in it's latest issue devot a lot of space to The Dark Tower. Here’s what you’ll find in the issue:

Exclusive photos, showing the vast plains of Mid-World, the shadowy Dixie Pig hideaway of the demons who infest our world, and the visions of a boy named Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor) who is either the key to saving the mythic Tower or the instrument of its destruction.

Revelations from director Nikolaj Arcel (the Oscar-nominated A Royal Affair, and one of King’s lifelong Constant Readers) about where the story picks up, which elements from the novels are being explored – and which are being left out.

Elba on the redemption story of Roland, who has “forgotten the face of his father” (or lost his way) in his relentless pursuit of the Man in Black. The actor also comments for the first time about race-swapping the Gunslinger, who until now has always been depicted as white.

McConaughey on the loneliness of evil, the reasons his villain “reveres” the hero chasing him, and why The Man in Black has taken a real shine to present-day New York City.

Finally, as an extra treat, King himself weighs in on the film, explains what he asked to change in the script, and provides new insight into how the Tower saga connects to some of his other books, like The Shining, The Stand, and one long-ago short story.


You can read their interview with Idris Elba here.

Thanks to Lou Sytsma and Rick Urban

Roland And The CGI Knife?

Posted: July 11, 2016, 14:30
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Here is a photo of Roland and one of the bad guys and if you look close you’ll see that the man has a knife in his back in the first photo (only the handle is sticking out) and then on the second photo it’s gone. On the second photo Roland is also holding in something. Could that be the knife’s handle? We don’t see the blade but maybe, just maybe, they will add a huge blade with CGI later on? What do you think?

Action Scene From The Dark Tower

Posted: July 11, 2016, 11:01
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Click for a larger imageHere are some photos that shows an action scene from The Dark Tower movie. As far as I can make out there is a shootout of some kind between Roland (Idris Elba) and Sayre (Jackie Earle Haley) in New York. And if you look close at Hackie’s face you can see small dots there. My guess is that they are there so that they can add some CGI on his face later on.

There is also a photo of Roland running (click on the photo for a better view) holding something in his hand. I can’t see what it is though…


Read the complete text

Beryl Evans (From DT) Is Coming To Comic Con

Posted: July 8, 2016, 09:43
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Here are some very interesting news. On July 22 Beryl Evans will attend Comic Con and sign her book Charlie the Cho Cho.


Evans who? You might ask.

Well, Beryl Evans is a fictional author from The Dark Tower who wrote the book Charlie the Cho Cho and now she is at Comic Con signing her book.

What does this mean?

Well, that is hard to say but I would guess that there will be some kind of Dark Tower event at Comic Con this year. Exactly what we don’t know yet though.



Beryl Evans is the name of the author who wrote Charlie the Choo-Choo. In Wolves of the Calla, Beryl Evans' name is changed to Claudia y Inez Bachman when Eddie Dean and Jake Chambers go todash and visit The Manhattan Restaurant of the Mind.

Thanks to Ed for this find!

Where Will The Dark Tower Movie Start?

Posted: July 7, 2016, 15:27
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On a question about the plot of The Dark Tower, about where the first movie will start and so on go this reply from the moderator of King’s board.

No official announcements have been made about the plot or the additional cast members and won't be until later this month.

So, that makes me hope that we’ll know more about all this soon…

The Man in Black, Jake and Roland in New York

Posted: July 3, 2016, 23:20
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Now we have photos of all three main characters from The Dark Tower movie. Eddie and Susanna might appear but so far we only know for sure that The Man in Black, Jake and Roland will be in this one and below you can see all three from this weekend’s filming in New York.

Click for a larger image

Click on the image for a bigger version.

The Dark Tower Filming In New York

Posted: June 29, 2016, 21:21
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The Dark Tower will be filming in New York this weekend according to OLV.

Here is where they will be this weekend:

Thursday, 6/30: 27th St and Madison Ave, NYC
Thursday 6/30 – Friday, July 1: Walker St, NYC
Friday, 7/1 White St and Broadway, NYC
Saturday, July 2: 26th St and 3rd Ave, NYC

Read the entire article here.

Thanks to Lou Sytsma

Matthew McConaughey Talks DT

Posted: June 27, 2016, 14:24
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Here is an interview with Matthew McConaughey and in the end he mentions The Dark Tower:

He bids me goodbye to return to The Dark Tower, in which he plays the villainous Man in Black to Idris Elba’s dystopian sci-fi Western hero. Even in that world, good and evil are relative depending on whose shoes you’re standing in. McConaughey considered whether his Walter Padick, the greatest villain in the Stephen King multiverse, would believe himself to be evil incarnate. He pauses. “He sure doesn’t think he is,” he says. “A good villain believes he’s a minister of peace.”

Thanks to Lou Sytsma

King & Arcel Talk Elba And McConaughey In Podcast

Posted: May 18, 2016, 08:31
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For those seeking an early preview of how the February 2017 film is coming together, Entertainment Weekly presents this podcast version of our conversation with King himself, as well as director and co-writer Nikolaj Arcel.

In the pod you’ll hear the two men describe approximately where the film will pick up within the storyline of King’s books, and both address why Elba was the right choice for Roland the Gunslinger — and why McConaughey was chosen as the sinister, shape-shifting Man in Black.

Claudia Kim Cast as Arra Champignon in Dark Tower

Posted: May 8, 2016, 23:57
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More The Dark Tower casting news. This one is from comicbook.com.

The Tracking Board is reporting that Claudia Kim (7th Grade Civil Servant, Marco Polo) has joined the cast of the feature film adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower.

Kim, 31, is expected to play Arra Champignon, the kind-hearted, pregnant wife of Charles Champignon. The couple are ambushed by Farson's men, and she ends up getting raped, murdered and having her baby cut from her womb, all while her husband is forced to watch.

Thanks to Lou Sytsma

DT Casting; Jake's Friend Timmy Cast

Posted: April 29, 2016, 22:46
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Here are the latest Dark Tower casting reported by Deadline.

Two weeks into the start of shooting in South Africa, The Dark Tower is beefing up its cast with the addition of Michael Barbieri, I’ve learned. Reps for the 14-year-old are deep in talks to have him join the highly anticipated Nikolaj Arcel-directed adaptation of Stephen King’s bestselling series, set to come out on Presidents Day weekend next year.

Barbieri is slated to play the role of Timmy. Showing up in The Waste Lands book from 1992, the character is an offbeat pal to the Jake Chambers character, to be played by Tom Taylor.


Thanks to Douglas Dowie.

King & Arcel Comment On Dark Tower

Posted: April 29, 2016, 16:40
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This article has been out for a few weeks but there are some quotes from King that might be of interest.

“[The movie] starts in media res, in the middle of the story instead of at the beginning, which may upset some of the fans a little bit, but they’ll get behind it, because it is the story,”

and

“They’re still holding on to this idea that they can do a TV series, and they’ve got it pegged for that, and it would seem everyone involved is waiting to see if the movie clicks with audiences before going all in with a massive franchise. Other people have tried fantasy spectacle. Sometimes it works, sometimes it works really well when it’s based on a series of books, like 'The Hunger Games' or 'Harry Potter,' and sometimes it doesn’t. What I have to go back to is this: We have Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, two great actors. You’ve got a great production team and Akiva Goldsman as the primary script writer. The team is in place, so we’ll hope for the best.”

Director Nikolaj Arcel said this:

“A lot of it takes place in our day, in the modern world”

Thanks to Herbert West

Dark Tower Set Photos Online

Posted: April 28, 2016, 09:24
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Today with social media things are showing up so much faster than usually. In the live chat I had this las Tuesday I was actually asked when we would see photos from the filming of The Dark Tower and I guessed in late May. Today the first ones are here…

I have collected what I found online and if you find other, please let me know so that I can add them.







Thanks to Lou Sytsma and Herbert West

Jackie Earle Haley Negotiates For The Dark Tower

Posted: April 15, 2016, 01:01
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Deadline reports that Jackie Earle Haley in negotiations for a co-starring role opposite Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey in The Dark Tower.

Haley will play Sayre, a menacing humanoid who is the vampire leader and kowtows to no one.


Here is a description of Sayre from The Dark Tower WiKi.

Richard Patrick Sayre is a high-ranking can-toi and a member of the Sombra Corporation. He has the usual low man fashion sense, dressing himself in a garish suit. He also has the pool of blood on his forehead that never spills over.

As revealed in Wolves of the Calla, Sayre lured Father Callahan to Sombra's offices by offering a million dollars to the charity he was working for. It was a trap, where Sayre intended to use Type Three vampires to give Callahan AIDS. His plan failed when Callahan committed suicide by jumping out the window.

In Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower, Sayre is the man in charge of delivering Mia's baby. He calls Susannah/Mia in their hotel room, telling them to go to the Dixie Pig. He takes them through the door into Fedic, where Mia is placed on a bed to deliver Mordred Deschain. After his birth, Susannah grabs a gun and shoots Sayre in the head.

Jake Chambers Cast

Posted: March 10, 2016, 22:53
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Entertainment Weekly reports that Tom Taylor has been cast as Jake Chambers in The Dark Tower Movie.

Sources close to the production have confirmed to EW that newcomer Tom Taylor will play the key role of Jake Chambers, a young boy who Roland crosses paths with in the series’ first book on his hunt of the man in black. Taylor previously appeared in the BBC series Doctor Foster and also showed up in the now-cancelled TNT series, Legends, as the younger version of Sean Bean’s protagonist, Martin Odum.


Read more here.

Thanks to Hans von Wirth

Dark Tower Movie Has New Releasedate

Posted: March 5, 2016, 20:03
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Sony Pictures has announced a slight shuffle in their 2017 release schedule and moved The Dark Tower back a month. New release date is now February 17, 2017.

The Dark Tower, which it was recently revealed will begin production in seven weeks in South Africa, has moved from its original release date of January 13, 2017 to February 17, 2017. An adaptation of the Stephen King novel series, the film will open against Universal Pictures and
image: http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/icon1.png
Legendary Pictures’ The Great Wall and 20th Century Fox’s Maze Runner: The Death Cure. Nikolaj Arcel will direct the film which stars Idris Elba as Roland “The Gunslinger” Deschain and Matthew McConaughey as the evil Man in black.

Source: Coming Soon.

Thanks to Rick Urban.

The Dark Tower Confirmations

Posted: March 1, 2016, 16:26
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A lot of stuff has not been confirmed about The Dark Tower movie:

- Nikolaj Arcel will start shooting the movie in South Africa in seven weeks.

- The Premier date is January 13 2017.

- The first movie won’t be based on the first book. Based on clues given by Arcel it’ll probably be based on the third book, The Waste Lands.

- Idris Elba is confirmed to play Roland.

- Matthew McConaughey is based to play The Man in Black.

- Abbey Lee will likely play Tirana.

“The thing is, it’s been a looong trip from the books to the film,” King says, putting it right in context: “When you think about it, I started these stories as a senior in college, sitting in a little sh-tty cabin beside the river in Maine, and finally this thing is actually in pre-production now.” He laughs. “I’m delighted, and I’m a little bit surprised.”

About the movie not being based on the first book.

King says the movie will open with the first line from the first book. “It should start that way,” he says. “I’ve been pretty insistent about that.”

“[The movie] starts in media res, in the middle of the story instead of at the beginning, which may upset some of the fans a little bit, but they’ll get behind it, because it is the story,” King says.

Arcel declined to specify which books his movie focus on, but he did offer this clue: “A lot of it takes place in our day, in the modern world.”

King and Arcel on Elba.

The author, who raves about Elba’s recent work in the child-soldier drama Beasts of No Nation, says he hopes fans of the books have no problem accepting a man of color as Roland. “For me the character is still the character. It’s almost a Sergio Leone character, like ‘the man with no name,’” King says. “He can be white or black, it makes no difference to me. I think it opens all kind of exciting possibilities for the backstory.”

Arcel acknowledges that skin color actually was an important factor in the relationship between Roland and Susannah, the black amputee he drew into his world from her life in 1964. In the books, she is not thrilled to find herself yanked into another dimension by a grizzled white guy. “Some fans are asking, understandably, ‘What about the racial tension?’” Arcel says. “But as the story progresses that will be made clear, how we’ll deal with all those things.”

Some Tweets...



Read the full article here.

Thanks to Alex Maidy‎.

Abbey Lee To Play Tirana in The Dark Tower

Posted: February 18, 2016, 22:15
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Is today April 1st? No? OK then…

If it’s correct that Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey will play Roland and Flagg a third role has now been cast. Deadline reports that Abbey Lee will play, and I quote, “the female lead role of Tirana”.

If you’re like me you’re now asking “who is Tirana? And why are they calling it a lead?”

Well this is Tirana:

A low woman in the Dixie Pig. Partner of Andrew. She struck the sköldpadda from Callahan’s hands

I don’t know about you but IF this is true it worries me a lot. What part of the story are they adapting and what are they focusing on?

King on Dark Tower Movie: It's Likely to Happen

Posted: February 10, 2016, 00:15
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In an interview with Rolling Stone King talked about The Dark Tower movie. Here are some of the things he said:

"It looks to me like it's more likely than not it'll happen at this point. Let's put it that way."

"I think that it's more likely than not that Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey will be in it. But I can't say with any certainty. I know that they're trying to make deals with these actors [and] with Sony, and that's the extent of my knowledge."

King also said he want to write about Jericho Hill:

"I'm never done with The Dark Tower. The thing about The Dark Tower is that those books were never edited, so I look at them as first drafts. And by the time I got to the fifth or sixth book, I'm thinking to myself, 'This is really all one novel.' It drives me crazy. The thing is to try to find the time to rewrite them. There's a missing element – a big battle at a place called Jericho Hill. And that whole thing should be written; I've thought about it several times, and I don't know how to get into it."

"I'd have to go back, read all the material before I could get myself in a frame of mind to do that. So, man, I just don't know. I'm a pretty instinctual writer, and I don’t have any game plan. I’m very unprofessional about that part of it; I can strap myself down in a chair and write every day, but the ideas come when they come. Maybe it will come time to write the Jericho Hill thing one day too."

Thanks to Lou Sytsma & Dimitris Tso

Elba as Roland, More Than a Rumor?

Posted: January 9, 2016, 22:35
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Looks like the casting of Idris Elba is a bit more solid than just a rumor. Akiva Goldsman, who is writing and producing the project, spoke to IGN at the 2016 winter Television Critics Association press tour while promoting his new WGN America series Underground.

"I think Idris Elba is the greatest possible idea for casting for Roland, and I'm unbelievably proud of it as a collaborator on this enterprise and because I think that he's a great actor and I couldn't be more thrilled that he is likely to play a part," Goldsman said. "I understand that people who are thoughtful about the storytelling and the racial politics of the storytelling might want to understand how that informs that storytelling, and I respect that and I hear that, and those things are not things we didn't think about or don't think about. The racist a--holes should go f--k themselves."

When asked to clarify whether changing the race of Roland was part of the initial conception of the movie or something that came about in the casting, Goldsman said,

"100 percent it was literally, entirely who do we think the best guy for the job is and can we get him. That was it."

"For me, casting is an extrapolation. As soon as you are having an actor play a character, whether they be living or fictional, it's different. Movies are not lives, movies are not books," he said. "I think what we do as filmmakers is we interpret, and you are welcome to agree with our interpretation at any turn, but I encourage you to do it based on thoughtful, aesthetic acceptance and open-heartedness and not bias."

My reactions from this is this:

1. Please don’t think that everyone that don’t want Elba as Roland are racists. I know I’m not.
2. The line "I think what we do as filmmakers is we interpret” is making me a bit worried that they might not follow the book as much as interpret the books.

I guess we’ll see come January 27 next year…

Source: IGN

Thanks to Douglas Dowie

The Question No One's Asking Is Why?

Posted: December 12, 2015, 14:44
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The news or rather rumor that Idris Elba is considered to play Roland The Gunslinger has absolutely exploded on Internet. People have argued that it's a good thing and that it's a bad thing. King himself commented that it doesn't matter to him.

The once that's against Elba as Roland is it basically because it would mess up the relationship between Roland and Detta/Odetta where she is a black woman that hates Roland because he's white.

The once that are for Elba as Roland on the other hand claims that the story could be altered and still work and that we could still get the conflict between Roland and Detta /Odetta.

Personally I thing much of the relationship between Roland ans Detta/Odetta would be lost if they were both black. But if someone in advance would have told me that the ending of The Mist would have been better when changed I might not have believed that either so I guess anything is possible I just don't see it now.

What I'm surprised by is that no one seems to ask WHY they want to change it! The only reason I can see is that they either think that the story itself will be better or that they can't find someone who will do Roland better or as good as Elba. I don't believe in either of those two reasons and if so they are just changing it for the changing itself and that is just plain wrong if you ask me.

So, until someone gives me a good reason as to why they should change King's (in my opinion good story) and risk it not being as good I'm voting "No" on Elba.

Lilja

Idris Elba To Play Roland Deschain? [RUMOR]

Posted: December 10, 2015, 11:55
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According to Deadline Idris Elba is the front-runner to play Roland Deschain In The Dark Tower. Deadline isn't revealing a source for this and no one seems to want to comment on it so I would just treat this as a RUMOR for now and if you ask me, an unlikely to happen rumor.


But if it would happen, what would you think about it?

Thanks to Dimitris Tso

The Dark Tower Not Set in Stone...Yet

Posted: December 8, 2015, 11:51
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In a recent Reddit AMA Ron Howard was asked about the status of The Dark Tower movie, and while he did say that work is being done, it turns out that there’s no guarantee that the work will ever actually lead to anything.


Thanks to Dimitris Tso

Matthew McConaughey as Flagg or Roland?

Posted: November 17, 2015, 08:36
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Will Matthew McConaughey play Flagg in the upcoming movie version of The Dark Tower? Or will be play Roland The Gunslinger? Well rumor says that he has been offered to play either of these roles. Personally I would prefer Flagg. That way they could also cast him as Flagg in The Stand as it has been rumored earlier. Please note though that this is just a rumor and its source is labeled as ”a person familiar with the project”. So please take it as a rumor for now.


If you could decide, would you cast him as Flagg, Roland or none of them?

Nikolaj Arcel to The Dark Tower?

Posted: June 2, 2015, 22:45
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Deadline reports that Nikolaj Arcel is the choice to direct The Dark Tower.

EXCLUSIVE: Nikolaj Arcel is the choice to direct The Dark Tower, the Stephen King novel series set in a world woven with magic and revolving around the gunslinger Roland Deschain. I’ve heard talks will begin shortly toward a deal that will have him overseeing a rewrite and directing the film. Sony Pictures Entertainment signed on earlier this year to co-finance the franchise with Media Rights Capital — it gives new topper Tom Rothman a strong franchise play — and now it looks like they’re near to naming the helmer who’ll bring this massively ambitious project to life.

Let's see if it happen this time...
Rick Urban, Lou Sytsma and Douglas Dowie

Sony & MRC to fast track The Dark Tower Movie

Posted: April 10, 2015, 20:16
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Sony Pictures has teamed with MRC to co-finance The Dark Tower. Sony will distribute what is planned to be the first in a series of movies. A complementary TV series is also being developed by MRC.

The new script is primarily based on the first book in the series, The Gunslinger, and the relationship between Roland and Jake. The film is a blend of horror and fantasy. The latest draft of the script is co-written by Akiva Goldsman and Jeff Pinkner. It was totally reconceived by Goldsman and Pinkner from the version that had been previously developed and which took root first at Universal and later at Warner Bros. Goldsman is producing through his Weed Road with Imagine Entertainment’s Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Erica Huggins, and I believe the author is also in a producing capacity. Pinkner will be exec producer.

Sony and MRC will go right out after filmmakers with this script, and put this on the fast track that hard-core fans of King’s book have long desired. Numerous stars including Javier Bardem and Russell Crowe have eyed the role of the gunslinger, but that role won’t be filled until after the director is set.

King, who options his works for $1 and likes to see progress, has been incredibly patient as this mammoth project — it’s his answer to Tolkien’s Middle Earth novels — has taken its time and its twists and turns. He’s sparked about where the project is now.

“I’m excited that The Dark Tower is finally going to appear on the screen,” he said in a statement. “Those who have traveled with Roland and his friends in their search for the Dark Tower are going to have their long-held hopes fully realized. This is a brilliant and creative approach to my books.”

Tom RothmanSaid Rothman: “There are few projects out there that compare with the scope, vision, complex characters and fully drawn world that Stephen King has created with The Dark Tower. I am a giant fan. And, as Stephen himself does, we love the direction that Akiva and Jeff have taken. This is a great opportunity for a director to put his or her stamp on a cool global franchise.”

Source: Deadline.

The Dark Tower Concept Art Revealed

Posted: June 26, 2014, 08:36
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Here are some really cool news about The Dark Tower movie(s). As you all know by now it’s not going to happen in the direct feature but not that long ago Ron Howard planed three movies with a TV series in between each and for those he asked concept artist and illustrator Gregory Hill to some concept art for it. And now Hill has published those on his website.


The Manni Village


Tull


Tull


Devar Toi


A Harrier Near The Speaking Ring


The Speaking Ring


The Thinny


The Dogan

They also did two videos to show you Tull.




Thanks to Ari

King on The Dark Tower

Posted: June 19, 2014, 10:02
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“I was very excited when Ron Howard got involved with that project, His original take on it was the best. He wanted to do the movies — three tentpole movies — interspersed with a number of TV series that covered Roland and his adventures as a young man. It was a brilliant concept, and I’m pretty sure it would have worked. [But] what sometimes happens in Hollywood and in filmmaking is, the financing fell apart, or the studio started to have second thoughts.”

Liam Neeson as Roland?

Posted: January 23, 2014, 09:32
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This is still just a rumor so take it for that and nothing else as for now.

Schmoe Ville reports that:

Ron Howard 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.

And…

I hear Liam Neeson is interested.

How much of this is the truth remains to be seen tough but please let me know what you think of Neeson as Roland? Good or Bad?

Aaron Paul to play Eddie Dean?

Posted: January 21, 2014, 22:56
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Aaron Paul as Eddie Dean? Well, maybe. This is from Cinema Blend:

We’ve heard this before. But Paul was in Sundance recently promoting a new film, and was asked by Ain’t It Cool News about the Dark Tower books and whether he’d ever been considered for Dean. The character is a strung-out junkie pulled into a mystical realm by the story’s main hero, Roland, a gunslinger. Dean becomes a hero, despite his numerous flaws. Sounds a lot like Jessie, no? Anyway, Paul says that he hasn’t read all of the books (there are seven), but dropped this huge bomb:

Here is what he said...

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, 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. Their goal is to do three films, but also have a television element to it, which will be very interesting. From what I hear, Eddie Dean is a pretty epic, iconic character.


Thanks to Gordon W. Olson

Howard talks Dark Tower

Posted: September 16, 2013, 08:33
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The Truth Inside the Lie has found an interesting (but not hopeful) interview with Ron Howard about The Dark Tower.


Empire: I'm sure your vow of silence will cover it, but...Stephen King himself appears in The Dark Tower. Have you thought about how you might tackle that?

Howard: Yes! And I will admit that Stephen said, "I don't have to be in this." But that's not to say that he won't be!

New hope for DT movie?

Posted: May 17, 2013, 10:07
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Here are the latest news about The Dark Tower Movie.

After getting rejected by two studios on an ambitious multi-platform treatment of Stephen King’s seminal novel series The Dark Tower, Grazer, Howard, Akiva Goldsman and King streamlined their original ambition to adapt nine volumes into three features and two limited-run TV series. Now, Media Rights Capital is committed to make a single movie with Russell Crowe as the gunslinger Roland Deschain, with more movies coming if the first gets results. This isn’t set in stone, as Grazer tells me that he has just been approached by a Silicon Valley investor willing to finance Dark Tower as originally constructed, Now it’s a matter of deciding what path to take.

So, what do you Think? Will Russell Crowe be a good Roland?

Thanks to Herbert, Anders and Ari

The Dark Tower on Netflix?

Posted: May 3, 2013, 08:32
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In an interview with Netflix’s Chief Content Office, Ted Sarandos, the question about The Dark Tower came up. No confirmation but not a denial either...

Arrested Development creator Ron Howard has also been circling Stephen King’s The Dark Tower – any chance Netflix could pick it up?

I spoke to Ron about it, actually. The last time we talked about it the thing was being kicked about HBO – but it’s no longer there. Once Arrested Development gets through we’ll keep talking about it.

What do you think? Can Netflix pull it off?

Is The Dark Tower on again?

Posted: August 21, 2012, 23:03
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Is The Dark Tower on again? Well, Deadline posted this update:

Media Rights Capital is in serious talks to take on The Dark Tower after Warner Bros declined to make what potentially amounts to three feature films and two limited run TV series. MRC’s Modi Wiczyk is a big fan of the Stephen King novel series, I hear, and the company is eager to capitalize on the positive momentum they got from developing and financing the Seth MacFarlane-directed summer sleeper hit Ted with Mark Wahlberg. MRC next has the Neill Blomkamp-directed Elysium with Matt Damon, and the company has the capital to back an ambitious project like The Dark Tower with director Ron Howard eyeing Russell Crowe as the gunslinger Roland Deschain and his quest to travel through a Western-style world woven with magic to find the Dark Tower, mankind’s only hope. Akiva Goldsman adapted the book and is producing along with Brian Grazer and Stephen King. Even though MRC was unavailable to comment, I expect this deal to make quickly. MRC has a distribution arrangement with Universal, but it’s unclear whether that studio would release the film. Universal developed it but passed on making the project before it moved to Warner Bros.

Thanks to Gordon W. Olson

Russell Crowe as Roland?

Posted: August 3, 2012, 13:27
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Looks like Ron Howard wants Russell Crowe to play Roland... Any thoughts on that?


The multi-film and TV miniseries adaptation of Stephen King‘s epic novel cycle The Dark Tower isn’t dead yet, and it could end up marking the reunion of director Ron Howard and his A Beautiful Mind star Russell Crowe.

Deadline reports that within the next two weeks Warners will make a decision on whether to greenlight the very ambitious adaptation that was cut loose from Universal and developed without a studio until Warners started getting interested months ago.

Javier Bardem, who was attached to play Deschain for some time, through multiple stages of the difficult project, is no longer set for the role, says Deadline.

Read more here.

Thanks to Anders Jakobson

Is Warner going to The Dark Tower?

Posted: March 13, 2012, 22:28
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According to Deadline Warner is very close to a deal that will give Ron Howard the chance to direct at least the first feature movie based on King’s The Dark Tower, potentially with Javier Bardem starring as gunslinger Roland Deschain. And Akiva Goldsman (who wrote the script) is producing with Brian Grazer and the author.

Read more here.

Thanks to Lou Sytsma and Rick Urban.

The Dark Tower Still Homeless

Posted: November 23, 2011, 23:08
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My favorite King blog Talk Stephen King reported the following today.

While Ron Howard signs new deals with HBO, Deadline gives this quote from Akiva Goldsman, “we’re still pushing the boulder uphill.” Deadline says that Goldsman is optimistic that the ambitious project will find a home “very soon.” But he just signed a 2 year deal with HBO to make a series about Doc Holliday. Ron Howard is expected to direct the pilot.

Howard talks Dark Tower

Posted: November 2, 2011, 11:58
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Here is an interview with Ron Howard and the last question deals with The Dark Tower.

THR: What’s the future of Dark Tower?

Howard: We are continuing to work on the script to find ways to make the budget more manageable and still deliver the work in a way that the project deserves. We were always racing and fast-tracking the project, so I always wince when I see something written about it and there’s a release date in there. These kinds of projects often take years to come together in the right ways. But I am in love with the material, and the minute it can come together in the right way, I am fully committed to it. Rush was kind of like a gift. I love stories that center on fascinating characters, and here you have psychologically complex, rare human beings, and they are also young and cool -- and it’s all in this unbelievably glamorous, sexy period in the mid-’70s. And yet, in terms of emotion and the heartbeat of the story, I think they will be very relatable. If you don’t know anything about Formula One, I’m going to present it in such a way that you’ll very likely fall in love with it. If you do know Formula One, I’m going to be very respectful and deliver a film you’ll love, too.

Thanks to Lou Sytsma

Dark Tower heading for HBO?

Posted: October 25, 2011, 22:42
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Is The Dark Tower moving to HBO? Well, according to Brian Grazer it is. This is what he told MTV:

"We're going to do ['The Dark Tower'] with HBO," Grazer told us. "We'll do the TV with HBO, and we'll do the movie with… to be determined. We'll do it right."

If this is correct it's very good news. HBO is known for thir solid work and huge successes.

Read more here.

Thanks to Gordon W. Olson

Brian Grazer says Dark Tower is gonna get made

Posted: October 24, 2011, 11:57
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Producer Brian Grazer Says $40-50 Million Cut From ‘Dark Tower’ Budget Means “It’s Gonna Get Made”

We spoke to Brian Grazer during the “Tower Heist” press rounds today, and while we could only score a few moments with the prolific producer, he did inform us that the budget has been shaved way back, possibly to the project’s benefit. “We found a way to cut out $45 million out of the budget without changing the scope and actually giving it a good ending,” Grazer said, suggesting a heavily re-worked approach. “In the $140 million draft, the ending wasn’t quite as satisfying. Now, we’ve got $45 million, $50 million out of the way and a really satisfying ending. It’s gonna get made.”

Read more here.

More on Dark Tower

Posted: August 17, 2011, 23:30
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More from Grazer about The Dark Tower movie.

But don't polish up your six-shooters yet: Grazer also stated that none of this will get underway until next year, after Howard finishes his Formula One racing movie Rush. And, yes, Javier Bardem is still attached to star as Roland ... but who knows what wrinkles may arise in an actor's schedule in a year's time?

Thanks to Lou Sytsma

Howard, Grazer and Goldsman seeks funding

Posted: August 17, 2011, 19:50
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Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Akiva Goldsman are seeking funding for The Dark Tower movie. Javier Bardem remains attached to play Roland Deschain in the features. And one venue for the TV aspect of the project could end up being Netflix .

Brian Grazer told Page Six:

[We're] trying to get outside financing to make it, and distribute it through a major [studio].

Read more here.

King on Universal dropping the Tower

Posted: July 21, 2011, 03:20
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Today King commented on Universal dropping The Dark Tower. Here is a repport from Entertainment Weekly:

Stephen King 'not really surprised' about 'Dark Tower' roadblock -- EXCLUSIVE

With the news that Universal has canceled its planned film-and-TV adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower book series, the author tells EW.com that he’s still optimistic that director Ron Howard will find a home for Roland the Gunslinger on the big (and/or small) screen. “I’m sorry Universal passed, but not really surprised,” he writes in an email. “As a rule, they’ve been about smaller and less risky pix; maybe they feel it would be better to stick with those fast and furious racing boys. I bear them no ill will, and trust Ron Howard to get Roland and his friends before the camera somewhere else. He’s very committed to the project.”

No Dark Tower for Universal

Posted: July 19, 2011, 22:23
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Universal announced today that they are NOT doing The Dark Tower. Now Ron Howard and company have to convince another studio to back them IF they are still interested in bringing The Dark Tower to the movies. Here are some articles about it:

Entertainment Weekly
Yahoo! News
Collider

Thanks to Al Mattice, Herbert West, Daniel Taylor, John Scoleri and Ari.

Bardem trades Roland for Bond?

Posted: July 12, 2011, 00:07
_
Good news for James Bond fans but not for The Dark Tower fans. It has now been confirmed (see here) that Javier Bardem will be the villan in the next Bond movie. This will make it hard for him to star in The Dark Tower movie and might be an indication on where thta movie is heading...

Thanks to Mike Cahill

Dark Tower or not...

Posted: June 25, 2011, 23:39
_
A lot of rumors and speculations are going around right now about The Dark Tower and whether or not Ron Howard will direct it. People at Universal claims it’s still on but the fact that Ron Howard has signed on to do the biopic about formula one racer Nicky Lauda and also an adaptation of the “Spy vs. Spy” comic strip (if rumors are correct) will make it hard for him to get the time to do The Dark Tower. Howard also said recently that Javier Bardem formally hasn’t sign on to do the role of Roland yet (“Nobody is pay or play but he has said he wants to do it. We’ve spent a lot of time together. He’s fascinated by the character and has great instincts for Roland. I’m hoping when we go, he’s available and will join us.”) which is yet another bad sign for the movie.

However, Universal has to green light the film by next month or the rights revert to Imagine, Akiva Goldsman and King.

Howard comments on The Dark Tower

Posted: May 25, 2011, 08:31
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Entertainment Weekly was supposed to talk to Ron Howard about his upcoming photo contest but ended up asking about The Dark Tower.

“We had to pull back to our September start date due to budget delays and ongoing story development and logistical issues, but Dark Tower is moving forward,” Howard said. “We’re thinking of starting in early spring now. I can’t really say who’ll be in it yet, but Javier Bardem has shown a great deal of interest. We’ll know by the end of the summer, when our flashing green light goes solid.” The project would start with a feature film, followed by six hours of TV content, starring the same actors as in the movie. “There are elements of the Dark Tower saga that are more personal and can be best dealt with on television,” Howard continued. “TV allows you to roll out details of the characters in a more methodical way.”

Thanks to David Squyres

Shooting The Dark Tower pushed to 2012?

Posted: May 18, 2011, 08:33
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Reports says that shooting of The Dark Tower has now been pushed forward to February 2012 but that we might know if it'll happen or not by July...

After reports about The Dark Tower going into turn around at Universal, suddenly rumors abound that the epic Stephen King adaptation is now slated for a Ron Howard-directed February 2012 start date.

However, the project must get the green light by July or the rights will go back to the author and filmmakers.

Read more here.

Dark Tower update

Posted: May 15, 2011, 01:12
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A somewhat sad update on The Dark Tower:

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Universal has dropped plans to start shooting the fall, as Goldsman is rewriting the script to reflect a lower budget. It hasn't been revealed how much lower the budget will be, or how that will affect the script, but it's still going to be a trilogy of movies and two TV series. Ron Howard is also still signed to direct the movie and the first episode of the TV show, with Brian Grazer producing and Goldsman writing all three movies.

The big question is whether this will affect the involvement of Javier Bardem, who signed on to play lead gunslinger Roland for at least the first movie and TV series back in April.

Read more here.

Thanks to Anders Jakobson

More news on The Dark Tower

Posted: May 9, 2011, 08:40
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HollyWood Reporpter has an update on the status of The Dark Tower. And it it's correct it's not good. This line made me worried...

A final decision is said to be expected soon on whether to move forward, seek additional financing partners or cancel the project entirely. But cast and crew have been told to stop prepping the project.

Here is the rest of the article:

Imagine Denies 'Dark Tower' Trilogy in Turnaround As Questions MountMay

The ambitious plan by Universal, Imagine Entertainment and NBC to turn Stephen King’s The Dark Tower opus into a film trilogy with a television supplement has hit a major snag.

Read the complete text

The Dark Tower to high for Universal?

Posted: May 6, 2011, 12:41
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Dread Central reports that Universal might have taken on to much when they agreed to do The Dark Tower. Here is what they say:

The challenge of bringing Stephen King's epic tale of gunslinger Roland Deschain in The Dark Tower is nothing short of a monumental task. Herculean even. With movies and TV shows promised, Universal is feeling some of the heat.

As per Variety:

Universal's unprecedented "Dark Tower" movie trilogy and interlocking TV series, seen as a hugely ambitious project from the start, may wind up being too big for the studio's appetite.

Sources tell Variety that in the last couple of days, the project, based on Stephen King's sweeping seven-book-and-counting series, has run into budgetary complications that have caused Universal execs to rethink their original plans. Insiders expect U brass to meet in coming days to decide whether to put the project into turnaround, whereby producer Imagine Entertainment could shop it to other studios, either to partner with Universal or take over entirely.

To be clear: Sources tell Variety that right now, Universal is moving ahead and is anxious to get the project up and going. The studio had no comment.

Ron Howard unveiled plans in September to adapt The Dark Tower for three films, the first of which he plans to direct, bridged by a pair of TV series. Universal soon came on as a distributor, given Imagine's production deal with the studio; NBC (or an affiliated cable net) was expected carry the TV component.

Javier Bardem's (pictured right) deal to play the lead role of Roland Deschain is nearly closed, while Howard is still eyeing thesps for other roles. Howard and Brian Grazer are producing through Imagine, while Akiva Goldsman is set to write the script.

Javier Bardem IS Roland!

Posted: April 26, 2011, 13:48
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Javier Bardem has signed on to play Roland:

Bardem nails 'Tower' saga

Javier Bardem has officially signed an epic deal to star in the movie and TV adaptations of Stephen King's "Dark Tower" book series. The Oscar-winning actor will play Roland Deschain in the eagerly awaited Ron Howard and Brian Grazer adaptation of King's beloved seven-novel saga. It's a momentous deal because each of the three movies in the series is to be followed by a TV miniseries. A well-placed source confirmed to Page Six, "Bardem has signed on to the first movie and the miniseries, but the intention is that he will star in all three movies and each of the TV series. It's an enormous deal for any actor, but Bardem was always the first choice." The story follows "Gunslinger" Deschain as he travels through an Old West-like landscape in search of the mythical Dark Tower to save civilization. The first movie is expected to go into production in September with Howard directing.

Thanks to Lou Sytsma

Mark Verheiden joins the Tower

Posted: April 13, 2011, 13:20
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Here are some news about The Dark Tower movies:

There’s some good news pertaining to the adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. It was announced today that Mark Verheiden has been signed on to co-write the NBC TV series alongside Akiva Goldsman.

Stephen King’s series of novels is set to be adapted on both the big and small screens. The TV show will fit between the first and second movie in the trilogy that’s set to play out in theaters.

According to Deadline, Mark Verheiden is set to co-write and executive produce the series. Verheiden’s TV credits include Heroes, Smallville, Battlestar Galactica, and the upcoming TNT drama Falling Skies. Needless to say, he’s no stranger to sci-fi/fantasy… unless you’re a stranger to sci-fi/fantasy, in which case, I suppose it does need to be said. Regardless, with a background that includes some very popular TV series (and also the film Timecop!), and Ron Howard’s direction, I’m thinking the Dark Tower project is in good hands.

Thanks to Ari

Bardem closing in on the Tower

Posted: April 11, 2011, 10:42
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Looks like Javier Bardem is close to sealing his deal with Universal Pictures to play Roland in The Dark Tower. Several reports has stated that it's just a matter of time before the papers are signed. If this happens it would also open up for further casting to move along. Stay tuned for more news...

Thanks to Hans Wilhelm von Wirth and Louis Sytsma

Dark Tower and Javier update

Posted: March 2, 2011, 14:48
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Here is a report from MTV about the latest with The Dark Tower and Javier Bardem:



With the ever-changing, ever-flowing news cycle surrounding the goings on in the film industry these days, it gets tougher and tougher to get concerned parties to actually confirm or break news. Nevertheless, our tireless team of intrepid reporters here at MTV News will not give up in trying to push people for info! Like whenever we happen upon super producer Brian Grazer and pump him for details about "The Dark Tower," for example...

The last time we checked in with Grazer, the Roland casting process was moving along, but slowly. When I stopped him while on his way into the Vanity Fair Oscar party last Sunday, solely with the purpose of peppering him about the reported casting of Javier Bardem as the ruthless gunslinger, he seemed pleasantly puzzled by the fact that MTV is so interested in the project.

"'Dark Tower,' Javier Bardem, that's what we're hoping," Grazer said when I asked him for an update. "We're in the process of trying to put that together. Will that make you happy? Will that make MTV happy?"

Yes, I told him. Very happy! But has he officially signed Bardem onto the project?

"He's locked in psychologically," Grazer said. "He really wants to do it, so we're absolutely rooting for him to do it."

When asked to address other potential cast members, Grazer said they're too busy with Bardem.

"We're really just focused on Javier right now," he said.

Grazer went on to say that in addition to the challenges involved with locking in a lead actor, they'll have their hands full trying to roll-out the project across multiple platforms including film, TV and video games.

"It's challenging to capture all of it, the density of it," he said, adding that he's excited to explore all the metaphors involved, and that the first story they're exploring is that of "The Gunslinger."

Thanks to Bev Vincent

More Javier as Roland

Posted: January 27, 2011, 16:48
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Here is a comment about Javier as Roland from the moderator of King's official board:

I have the official go-ahead to announce that Ron Howard/Universal has offered Javier Bardem the part of Roland. I do not know if he has accepted the offer but chances are they wouldn't make this announcement if he wasn't considering it. The announcement was made through Deadline Hollywood--here's the link for the full story.

Javier Bardem is Roland

Posted: January 27, 2011, 15:35
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Mike Fleming of Deadline Hollywood is reporting that oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem will play Roland Deschain in the upcoming Dark Tower films and television series.

This is also reported by King's official site so it looks like it's the real deal this time.

The contracts have been signed

Posted: January 25, 2011, 11:21
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There has been word that the Dark Tower movies/TV series hasn't been green lighted but here is what the moderator of King's official board said about it:

Steve just had a meeting with Ron Howard and Akiva Goldsman a couple weeks ago and the contracts have all been signed. I think he would have mentioned if there was a problem but he said the meeting went fine. My understanding is they're planning to start announcing casting choices, possibly this week.

Howard talks some more Dark Tower

Posted: January 20, 2011, 16:39
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When MTV spoke to Howard during the press day for his comedy "The Dilemma," he talked a bit about his plans for "The Dark Tower" series and how involved he will be.

"Right now what we're talking about is a movie and six or eight hours of television to bridge. My plan is to do most of those TV hours, if not all, and certainly the movies." And, in case you thought the roles of the main characters would be recast for the TV series, Howard confirmed that the actors from the films will indeed reprise their roles on the small screen.


Clip of Brian Grazer

Posted: January 20, 2011, 16:27
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Here is a clip of Brian Grazer where he says we'll know who'll play Roland within a week.



And as a vice man told me (yes it was Bev Vincent), getting a big name attached to the movie might give them the 'go' they need...

The Dark Tower no 'go' yet?

Posted: January 20, 2011, 14:17
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From an interview with Ron Howard published today (don't really know when it was done though):

How are things progressing with The Dark Tower?
"I'm working on it. We don't know if it's a 'go' but it is picking up a lot of momentum and a lot of creative momentum. I've had fantastic conversations with Stephen King. Akiva Goldsman, who wrote A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man and Da Vinci Code, is on it as a writer and also a producer and brought the project to me. We're already gathering this interesting team of people who love these genres - fantasy and horror. For me it's creatively very exciting. The possibilities are rich."

If this interview is done recently the fact that Howard says he don't know if it's a 'go' speaks against that we'll know in a week who'll play Roland...

Thanks to Bev Vincent

Dark Tower casting to be revealed soon?

Posted: January 19, 2011, 08:35
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Comic Book Movie Fansite had an interesting article about the casting of The Dark Tower today. Apparently MTV caught up with producer Brian Grazer who had the following to say:

"...when we asked if he'd talked to the two actors about the part, he simply laughed and responded, 'Sure.' Grazer did say, however, that a casting announcement is imminent. How imminent? 'Within a week,' he said. Seriously? 'Seriously. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Seriously,' he assured us before asking, 'Who do you want?' Honestly, we'll take either of them. 'OK, great,' Grazer concluded."

This sounds a bit early but stranger things have happened. Personally I was hoping for an unknown actor but if it is down to Javier Bardem and Viggo Mortensen I'm hoping for Bardem.

Thanks to John Haberkorn

Dark Tower on TV is a six hour special

Posted: January 17, 2011, 00:19
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Ron Howard recently spoke to Howard Stern about The Dark Tower and told him that the television portion of the adaptation”is really a six hour special”. Read more about the interview here.

Ron talks Dark Tower

Posted: January 14, 2011, 08:44
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Ron Howard briefly mentioned his work on The Dark Tower movies at the end of his Today Show appearance promoting B>The Dilemma today. Check it out here


It's great to hear him speak about it even if he just mentions it briefly.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

Susannah Dean casted?

Posted: January 9, 2011, 01:18
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This rumor from The New York Post was reported earlier today:

The New York Post has the rumor, stating quite simply and without attribution: "'Pirates of the Caribbean' beauty Naomie Harris is being considered for the female lead in the Ron Howard's eagerly anticipated 'Dark Tower' trilogy." Without any official confirmation, let's treat Harris' involvement as a rumor for now — but it's certainly a rumor we're excited about.

Who is Roland?

Posted: January 3, 2011, 13:24
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Looks like two men are the top contenders for playing Roland in the upcoming filmversion...

Ron Howard's adaptation of Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" has set off a casting frenzy in Hollywood. Agents are tripping over themselves to land their clients coveted roles in what promises to be a blockbuster film and television franchise. Leading the pack for the principal character, Roland Deschain, is Javier Bardem, with Viggo Mortensen a close second, sources tell us. Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman have a deal with Universal that will translate into a TV show and three movies, all using the same cast. Brian Grazer will produce with Goldsman and King. According to reports, they plan to start with an epic movie, then continue the story with the TV series, followed by a second film, and then a second TV season showing gunslinger Deschain as a young man. Then, the third movie will end the saga with Deschain as an older man.

LA Times article about The Dark Tower movie

Posted: December 19, 2010, 00:38
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Here is an very interesting article about the upcoming Dark Tower adaptation. It mentiones some possible names and also confirms that the plan is movies #1, a TV season, movie #2, a second TV season and then the third movie.

Thanks to Louis Sytsma

Dark Tower update

Posted: December 14, 2010, 23:18
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Here is an update on the upcoming Dark Tower movies from Bloody Disgusting.

Deadline caught up with Rob Howard, who is set to direct the first of three Steven King The Dark Tower adaptations, which will arrive in theaters May 17, 2013 from Universal Pictures. They write that they plan to turn King's masterwork into a film trilogy with a network TV series programmed between films. Howard will direct the first film and the limited run series that will create a bridge to the second feature. "It is going well, and it has been incredibly stimulating to work on," Howard said. "It's dense, a great author's life work is not to be taken lightly. It has been utterly fascinating to explore it, and we are having great creative conversations. I've begun tossing and turning at 3 in the morning over it, so that's a good sign." The books chronicle the mysterious The Gunslinger as he travels across a desolate and vaguely post-apocalyptic landscape in his quest for a black tower. Portals along the way eventually allow contact with our own modern world.

Thanks to Al Mattice

The first Dark Tower movie only 2½ years away

Posted: October 29, 2010, 21:34
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2 days ago I told you about NBC's plans for The Dark Tower TV series and today it looks like the first movie is just about 2½ years away. From this article I got this:

And Ron Howard's first movie based on Stephen King's The Dark Tower has been scheduled for May 17, 2013.

Thanks to Herbert West

The Dark Tower on TV next season?

Posted: October 27, 2010, 15:46
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Today I found an article called NBC - Full drama development slate for next season - almost all Fantasy/Sci-Fi and in it I found this interesting section:

DARK TOWER, THE: Eerie, dreamlike, set in a world that is weirdly related to our own, The Gunslinger introduces Roland Deschain of Gilead, of In-World that was, as he pursues his enigmatic antagonist to the mountains that separate the desert from the Western Sea. Roland is a solitary figure, perhaps accursed, who with a strange singlemindedness traverses an exhausted, almost timeless landscape. The people he encounters are left behind, or worse—left dead. At a way station, however, he meets Jake, a boy from a particular time (1977) and a particular place (New York City), and soon the two are joined—khef, ka, and ka-tet. The mountains lie before them. So does the man in black and, somewhere far beyond...the Dark Tower.

King on the Dark Tower movies

Posted: September 10, 2010, 08:51
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King talks about the upcoming Dark Tower movies:

Stephen King exclusive: Who should star in 'The Dark Tower'? 'The Twilight cast, of course!'
by Kristen Baldwin

With news that Stephen King’s enormously popular book series The Dark Tower will be coming to a big and small screen near you, we here at EW.com could not stop ourselves from reaching out to the bestselling author (and EW columnist) via email to get a few more answers about the highly-anticipated project. Here’s what he had to say:

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: The Dark Tower is such a dense series — did you always think it needed more than a single movie or TV show treatment?

STEPHEN KING: I always thought it would take more than a single movie, but I didn’t see this solution coming — i.e., several movies and TV series. It was Ron [Howard] and Akiva [Goldsman]‘s idea. Once it was raised, I thought at once it was the solution.

What about Ron Howard and NBC makes them a good fit for the franchise?

When working as a director, Ron is very similar to the way I work as a writer. We both tell honest stories that have (I flatter myself) style and substance but not a lot of show-offy frills.

In a perfect world, who would play Roland? Eddie? Susannah? Jake?

The Twilight cast, of course! Just kidding. I haven’t got as far as casting in my thoughts, but when I write about Susannah Dean, I always kind of see Angela Bassett in my mind’s eye. Mostly I just want good people in those parts. Ron Howard will find them, I’m sure.

And who would you want to play?

I’d love to be the voice of Blaine the Mono.

There’s a lot of blood in the series — how much is the TV series going to be censored? It likely would have been easier to join forces with a network without restrictions, à la HBO, no?

I don’t see that as a problem at all! We’ll have just enough latitude to make a great series. I’ve worked in network TV before, and every time I was squeezed a little, it just made me look for creative solutions. Besides, I always like to play in the biggest auditorium available!

Thanks to David Squyres

Dark Tower movie news

Posted: September 9, 2010, 00:28
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Today a press release was released about the future of The Dark Tower movies and as it looks now there will be a movie, followed by a TV series, followed by a movie, followed by a TV series, followed by a movie. Check out the full press release here.

Thanks ot Alex Carmona

King comments on the recent Dark Tower news

Posted: May 1, 2010, 01:57
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King comments on The Dark Tower movie:

"It looks good. Things are happening and they are happening fast but any reports you see might be taken with a grain of salt for the next couple of weeks. You will know the news from the official source as soon as we are able to post it."


Steve

Conflicting info about DT movie

Posted: April 30, 2010, 11:46
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It looks like there is some conflicting info about what the format for The Dark Tower will be. THR says one feature film and then a TV series and Deadline a trilogy and then a TV series.

I'm still looking for confirmation about this but it would be so much easier if Ron Howard could just e-mail me :-)

Dark Tower as a screen trilogy and TV series?

Posted: April 30, 2010, 08:29
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Very interesting information surfaced recently. If it’s correct King’s Dark Tower books is set to be a screen trilogy and TV series. Exactly what this means isn’t all that clear. Is it three TV movies? That will be extremely hard to succeed with. Is it three TV series with say 12 episodes each? That would work. Can Akiva Goldsman (script), Ron Howard (directing) and Brian Grazer (producer) pull it off? I have no idea. And, what happened JJ Abrams and Damon Lindelof? I have no idea.

I’m working on getting more info on this as we speak so stay tuned. In the meantime, check out the full news (as it was reported by Deadline below.

Read the complete text

Thanks to Joel, Ariel Bosi and Maribel Deschain

No Tower for Abrams

Posted: November 11, 2009, 18:03
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It looks like there won't be a Dark Tower movie for J.J. Abrams after all.

This is what Abrams told MTV News:

It coulda be great, but it ain't gonna happen, as Abrams himself told MTV News' Josh Horowitz recently. "The 'Dark Tower' thing is tricky," he said. "It's such an important piece of writing. The truth is that Damon and I are not looking at that right now."

Read more here.

Thanks to Anders Jakobson, Alex Carmona and Joseph Altomere

Damon Lindelof: I shouldn't be the one to adapt it

Posted: October 27, 2009, 17:04
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This was in USA Today :

I am actually curious as to the status of Damon's involvement with the Dark Tower series. Is there hope for us Stephen King fans that this project is in the works? -- Lorrie Q.

You'll be hard-pressed to find a huger fan of The Dark Tower than me, but that's probably the reason that I shouldn't be the one to adapt it. After working six years on Lost, the last thing I want to do is spend the next seven years adapting one of my favorite books of all time. I'm such a massive Stephen King fan that I'm terrified of screwing it up.

I'd do anything to see those movies written by someone else. My guess is they will get made because they're so incredible. But not by me.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

More Dark Tower movie

Posted: May 12, 2009, 14:13
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Here is more about The Dark Tower movie:

As “Star Trek” makes its case for the new J.J. Abrams age of the franchise this weekend, he and fellow “Lost” creator Damon Lindelof continue to have early discussions about Stephen King’s cult series of books “The Dark Tower.” Lindelof confirmed Abrams’ assertion that “Lost” is priority number one at the moments, but said the project would require at least as much care as Zack Snyder’s adaptation of “Watchmen.”

“Having seen Zack go through what he went through on ‘Watchmen’ in terms of saying of where can I digress from the material I just get headaches thinking about changing anything,” Lindelof told MTV News. “It was the defining literary tale of my young adulthood into adulthood.”

Lindelof is keenly aware of how that level of attachment can affect his approach to the project. “My reverence for Stephen King is now getting in the way of what any good writer would do first when they’re adapting a book, which is take creative license in changing stuff,” he explained.

If the Hollywood power duo indeed moves on to King’s fantasy/Western tale when they finish with “Lost” it may be an extended commitment in addition to being a demanding one, given the scope of the seven-book series.

“Paramount is certainly looking at it as a franchise movie and thinking about sequels but we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves,” Lindelof said. “Ideas have been thrown around that are very informal at this point.”

And more formal conversations very well may not be in the cards until the fates of Oceanic Flight 815’s passengers are firmly on the ground for the the “Lost” finale.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

Abrams talks Tower

Posted: May 4, 2009, 12:02
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J.J. Abrams recently got the question about what’s happening with The Dark Tower movie and said that as soon as Damon Lindelof is done with LOST they hope to get started on The Dark Tower project.

See the clip here

Thanks to Al Mattice and John Haberkorn.

Lindelof talks Dark Tower

Posted: September 2, 2008, 20:52
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Damon Lindelof talks about The Dark Tower:

Q: Have there been any developments with your rumored adaptation of Stephen King's Dark Tower series?

A: The Dark Tower is to me every bit as daunting an adaptation as the Lord of the Rings trilogy must have been for Peter Jackson, except we've got seven books we're looking at. And the idea of doing that at the same time Carlton and I are bringing Lost to a close is simply not viable. There are always Dark Tower conversations, but the figuring out of what this will look like as a movie has not begun. If The Dark Tower were in the right hands, I would love to see seven movies executed just right. But you have to get people to see the first one to get them to come and see the second one.

Thanks to Louis Sytsma

Early stages of DT?

Posted: February 26, 2008, 11:18
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In an interview J.J. Abrams said that he and Damon Lindelof are in very early stages of a Dark Tower adaptation. You can listen to it here.

False site

Posted: June 19, 2007, 15:04
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I just got confirmation from King’s office that the site claiming filming of The Dark Tower will start on Friday is false.

JJ Abrams and The Tower

Posted: March 9, 2007, 00:20
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JJ Abrams talks The Dark Tower:

Wired News: Turning to your Stephen King project for a second, The Dark Tower wasn't well-received by most critics or even some die-hard Stephen King fans. What attracts you to the project?

Abrams: This is something that we are just now talking about with Stephen, so it's too early for me to say that we're even officially doing it yet just because the thing is in the early stages of discussion. I love what the The Dark Tower is. Damon Lindelof is obsessed (with it). We met Stephen, who was just the greatest, and hit it off. What's exciting to me about it is that it is a very edgy epic. You could . . . say it's his Tolkien Ring series, but I feel like it has a potential of being a lot more. I think that sense of that great hero, that sort of Western, iconic, almost spaghetti-Western-type hero in this landscape is just an amazing -- it feels iconic to me.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

More DT movie

Posted: March 3, 2007, 00:35
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Here is a clarification from King's message board:

"I asked Steve for clarification on this and his response was that no deal has been finalized. If and when one is, it will be a 3 year option which he will sell them for $19. I can tell you from experience that there have been many times when an option has expired before a film is made so even an option doesn't mean it's a done deal. "

Thanks to Bev Vincent

Nothing decided about The Dark Tower movie…yet.

Posted: February 14, 2007, 20:10
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I just talked to King’s office about the Dark Tower movie rumors and they said that King and J.J. Abrams is talking about it but nothing has been agreed upon yet. So, it could happen but it might not.

J.J. Abrams to direct The Dark Tower?

Posted: February 14, 2007, 08:47
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I usually don’t report on rumours until I get it confirmed…and I’m working on getting this one confirmed or denied…but this sounded to big to pass up on. BUT, SEE THIS AS A RUMOUR UNTIL IT’S CONFIRMED:

IGN reported this today:

February 13, 2007 - IGN has exclusively learned that J.J. Abrams is poised to direct The Dark Tower, based on the Stephen King literary series.

Sources advised us that an official announcement is forthcoming. We have been unable to determine whether Dark Tower will be a film project or a TV miniseries, although the latter is a more likely prospect given the complex nature of King's seven-book series. Given Abrams' success on the small screen -- and King's well known love for the Abrams-produced TV series Lost -- the tube seems a better fit for The Dark Tower.

Sources also added that Abrams is indeed only producing Star Trek XI. It was recently reported that Abrams would not direct Trek XI, as many had assumed, but would instead turn his attention to a secret Paramount project titled Cloverfield. Might Cloverfield be a codename for The Dark Tower? Or a completely separate project?

(Interestingly enough, Entertainment Weekly did an interview last year with King, Abrams and his Lost producing partner Damon Lindelof, who reportedly brought a rare first edition of The Gunslinger to the meeting.)

Often described as King's magnum opus, The Dark Tower, as Wikipedia reminds us, "tells the tale of lead character Roland Deschain's quest for the 'Dark Tower.' The Dark Tower is often described in the novels as a real structure, and also as a metaphor. Part of Roland's fictional quest lies in discovering the true nature of the Tower. The series incorporates themes from multiple genres, including fantasy fiction, science fantasy, horror, and western elements."

"In the story, Roland is the last living member of a knightly order known as gunslingers. The world he lives in is quite different from our own, yet it bears striking similarities to it. Politically organized along the lines of a feudal society, it shares technological and social characteristics with the American Old West, as well as bearing magical powers and the relics of a highly advanced, but long vanished, society. Roland's quest is to find the Dark Tower, a fabled building said to either be, or be located at, the nexus of all universes. Roland's world is said to have 'moved on,' and indeed it appears to be coming apart at the seams — mighty nations are being torn apart by war, entire cities and regions vanish from the face of the earth without a trace, time does not flow in an orderly fashion; even the sun sometimes rises in the north and sets in the east. As the series opens, Roland's motives, goals, and even his age are unclear, though later installments shed light on these mysteries."

This news about J.J. Abrams comes on the heels of Marvel's recent launch of the limited comic book series The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born

Thanks to Ari

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