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Dark Tower movie developments
Stephen King and J.J. Abrams are in talks to bring King's "Dark Tower" book series to the screen. The screen's size, though, has yet to be determined. Abrams' Bad Robot shingle has a first-look deal at Paramount for film projects and a deal with Warner Bros. Television for TV projects. The project is not yet set up at either company. On first glance, King's tale -- which sprawls across seven books as it blends the fantasy, sci-fi, horror and Western genres -- might seem better suited for a multiple-episode television treatment. On the other hand, its potential cost might call for a large-scale cinematic treatment. Sources say a number of entities have been chasing "Tower" but that King is looking for strong filmmaker involvement, which is where Abrams enters the picture. It is unclear whether Abrams, who is repped by WMA, would take on the project solely as a producer or whether he would direct as well. But King hasn't been shy about admitting that he's a huge fan of Abrams' television series "Lost." In fact, he recently participated in a round-table for Entertainment Weekly with Abrams and "Lost" exec producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. During the course of the discussion, "Tower" was mentioned several times. Lindelof even brought along a rare first edition of "The Gunslinger," Book 1 of the "Tower" series, for King to sign. It all sounded like the sort of mutual admiration society that could lead to a genuine collaboration.
Comments
This is still in the talking stage according to the article. I'm looking into it to see if it's "for real." Knowing a little about how Hollywood works, it could be years before anything happens.
I was thinking of a series of movies like the Potter films. If it is going to be a series of movies then the aging issue for Jake is a problem, unless they film them back to back, and how many movies 7, 6, 5..? I can't see any studio financing more than 3 films to be shot back to back at once.
As a TV miniseries, shooting the whole story consecutively Jake's age wouldn't be as much of an issue.
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.
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.
I also exchanged a few words with them and asked them about the "Dark Tower"-movies. Mr Burk said something like "Soon. Not very soon, but soon!" Mr Abrams replied "... after LOST is done!"
Only later did I realize that I immediately should have asked if that meant before or after "Cloverfield 2", the 12th "Star Trek" movie, etc. ... but I'd been to excited to think of it in time ... :-/
By the way, when asked by another fan what his next project would be, he replied: "Sleeping!"
But I do hope he and his team will eventually get around to doing "The Dark Tower" (If not, maybe Frank Darabont can have a go at it after all?) because I trust their vision as long as they'll hire Robin Furth as co-writer!
Just imagine the soundtrack Michael Giacchino would deliver! *drools*
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.
By Borys Kit and Ace Fernandez
J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot shingle, which has long sought to crack Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower” book series as a television series, no longer has the rights to one of the author’s biggest properties.
Bad Robot has returned the rights back to the best-selling author. Now Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Akiva Goldsman are teaming up to tackle the fantasy Western.
The three are in discussions on a scenario that would see an adaptation begin as a movie, to be written by Goldsman and directed by Howard, that would lead to a TV series produced by Imagine’s small-screen division.
“Tower” is not set up, nor has any option deal been made, but insiders say Universal, home to Imagine, would be the studio that will release the movie.
That would be a contrast to the vision drawn up by Bad Robot, which had been eyeing their potential series as a reunion with “Lost” exec producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. Because of the comprehensive nature of the project, the creators wanted to wait until “Lost” was over to give it their attention. When they realized they wouldn't be able to do an adaptation justice, they gave the rights back to King.
King’s magnum opus, “Tower” encompasses not just a narrative about the Man in Black and Roland, the Gunslinger, that spans seven lengthy books (and one short story), but also the entire universe of King’s fiction. Characters from his other novels flit in and out of “Tower” in minor and major ways.
Envisioned when King was still in his teens as his own take on spaghetti Westerns and the world of Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings,” “Tower” has also spawned a series of graphic novels from Marvel Comics, with the latest issue hitting shelves May 19. The property’s expansive nature and direct connection to King’s other works make it one of the biggest, ripest franchise possibilities in entertainment.
Number one issue for me has been how they will handle Jake's age over the 7 books. Whomever they cast will grow out of the role. I suspect Jake may become a teenager to get around this.