After a decade spent in development hell, the film adaptation of The Dark Tower was finally released in 2017, and it was… not received well, to put it lightly, though CinemaBlend’s review of the movie skewed more positively with 3 out of 5 stars. Nevertheless, this resulted in sequel plans being scrapped, but it won't be the last time this Stephen King saga is adapted for screen. Last December, Mike Flanagan announced that he’s developing a TV version of The Dark Tower for Amazon, and the author is especially keen in this adaptation moving forward.
Having already proven his King mettle with the movies Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game, as well as shown off his horror storytelling skills with shows like The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass (both of which can be viewed with a Netflix subscription), Flanagan shared nearly half a year ago that he’s written a pilot script for a Dark Tower series, which he envisions as lasting for “at least five seasons.” While the project doesn’t have an official green light just yet, King tweeted out the following when a fan expressed their hope that it’s eventually realized:
The writer happens to agree. https://t.co/lCYsLOWmy4June 2, 2023
Considering how poorly The Dark Tower movie turned out, with screenwriter Akiva Goldsman even having “a lot of regret” about certain aspects of it, it seems like we can only go up with another live-action adaptation of this popular book series that stretched across eight installments from 1982 to 2012. More importantly, Mike Flanagan stated he received Stephen King’s blessing for putting together this new version of the story focused on the gunslinger known as Roland Deschain. Again, we don’t know for a fact that The Dark Tower TV series will move from concept to reality, but King’s made it clear, he wants Amazon Prime Video subscribers to someday receive it. So let’s cross our fingers that this ends up being a ‘when it will happen’ situation rather than ‘if it will happen.’
The good news is that even if Amazon’s adaptation of The Dark Tower doesn’t arrive for a long time, which Mike Flanagan has admitted could be the case, he isn’t out of the Stephen King business. It was reported in May that he’ll direct Tom Hiddleston and Mark Hamill in a film version of The Life of Chuck, based on the same-named novella from the If It Bleeds collection. The filmmaker also shared that Revival is being turned into a TV show following his failed attempt to make it into a movie, but he’s not involved with the project anymore. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention that Flanagan’s final series from his previous arrangement on Netflix, The Fall of the House of Usher, will premiere on the streaming service sometime this fall.
Looking back to the world of Stephen King adaptations, today marks the arrival of yet another one, with The Boogeyman among the 2023 new movie releases now playing in theaters. We also have a new Salem’s Lot movie on the way which has been shot, but doesn’t currently have a release date yet. Rest assured, should Amazon officially announce that Mike Flanagan’s The Dark Tower series has been greenlit, we’ll share that news with you. Until then, use our 2023 TV schedule to keep track of the shows currently airing/streaming and coming soon.
