Stephen Kinghas written a plethora of books that are now considered to be modern classics, butThe Dark Towerseries is perhaps the most defining work of his bibliography. Beyond the fact that the massive story consisted of eight novels and additional spin-off stories,The Dark Towersaga developed a rich mythology that is critical tothe larger universe that all of King’s stories take place in. Given how popular King adaptations likeThe ShiningandThe Mistwere, it was only a matter of time before the epic fantasy adventure got the chance to make it to the big screen. Unfortunately,the 2017 adaptation ofThe Dark Towerwas a critical and commercial failurethat had been filled with production issues since its inception.
It’s not a complete surprise that the 2017 film ended up feeling so disjointed, asvarious versions ofThe Dark Towerhad been in development since 2009.Althoughthe first installment in a planned eight-partfilm franchise was initially pitched byJ.J. AbramsandDamon Lindelofafter the conclusion ofLost, therights eventually passed to Sony PicturesandRon Howard’s Imagine Entertainment. Despite considering directing the film when it was still at Warner Bros., Howard decided to remain as a producer whenNikolaj Arcelwas officially hired. While Arcel was coming off the critical acclaim for his Academy Award-nominated dramaA Royal Affair, he had little experience helming a massive blockbuster as large asThe Dark Tower. After a series of negative test screenings, Howard and producerAkiva Goldsmanwere tasked with helping Arcel make significant edits to his version of the film. Despite the fact thatThe Dark Toweris one of King’s longest and most detail-oriented novels, the final version of the film clocked in at just 95 minutes.
The Dark Towerwas a significant failure at the box office,as it failed to stand out in a packed summer that included more critically acclaimed blockbuster titles likeSpider-Man: Homecoming,Wonder Woman,War for the Planet of the Apes,Dunkirk,andBaby Driver. While the critical response was rather harsh,Howard admitted thatit wasn’t completely unfair; he felt that the film had strayed too far from the source material, as it cut out many of the horror elements in favor of making a PG-13 adventure film that was aimed at a broader audience. While the novels specifically centered on the gunslinger known as Roland (Idris Elba), the film primarily focused on a young boy, Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor), as he flees the ancient sorcerer Randall Flagg (Matthew McConaughey). The decision to cut out Roland’s backstory was particularly strange, as even the most scathing reviews forThe Dark Towerseemed to agree that Elba had given a fantastic performance.
‘The Dark Tower’ Failed To Do the Source Material Justice
Whilehe was more complimentary towards the workthat Arcel did as a director,King felt that the film had tried to squeeze too much source material into a single installment, and that 95 minutes was not enough time to provide deeper insights about the larger universe. King shared Howard’s sentiments that the PG-13 rating was restrictive, asThe Dark Towerhad to cut away much of the violence that had been so integral to the novels.Goldsman also saidthat he had “a lot of regret” about the way the film turned out, as competing visions ended up turning the post-production too incoherent to ever release something respectable.
Both Howard and Goldsman stated that they think a television adaptation may have been a better option, which may remain a possibility now thatMike Flanaganishelming a series adaptation ofThe Dark Tower.Details about the project are scarce, but given the brilliance Flanagan showed in adaptingDoctor SleepandGerald’s Game, there is reason to believe that he could deliver a version ofThe Dark Towerthat King will be satisfied with. Hopefully, Flanagan’s version ofThe Dark Towerwill be so excellent that it will allow everyone to forget that the 2017 disaster even existed.
The Dark Toweris streaming on Netflix in the United States.
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The Dark Tower
A boy haunted by visions of a dark tower from a parallel reality teams up with the tower’s disillusioned guardian to stop an evil warlock known as the Man in Black who plans to use the boy to destroy the tower and open the gates of Hell.
