Summary
Fans have been waiting for more details about Mike Flanagan’s adaptation ofStephen King’sThe Dark Tower, and the filmmaker recently gave an update on his game plan for the highly anticipated (and lengthy) project.
King’sDark Towerseries has a novella and eight books, and the first,Gunslinger, was published in 1982. There was a long wait between the seventh novel, which was published in 2004, and book 8,The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole,which came out in 2012. It seems likely thatFlanagan’sDark Toweradaptation will have a big budgetas there are so many characters, storylines, and settings to include. Flanagan also adapted King’sThe Life of Chuckfor the big screen, and whilethe box office performance has been lackluster, fans are enjoying the beautifully told, touching story. While attention has been on this emotional film, everyone is curious aboutThe Dark Tower.
Mike Flanagan Shares His Plans For Stephen King’s The Dark Tower Adaptation
In an interview withThe Toronto Sun,Mike Flanagan revealed he would like to make five seasons of aDark TowerTV series and then several movies. He said:
“It’s got to be a series then it also has to have movies. The perfect way to do it is five seasons and two movies, but there are a lot of different ways it can go. It’s such an intimidating undertaking, but we’re setting it up now to begin as a series and we’ll see where it goes.”
While fans have heard Flanagan share past updates onThe Dark Tower, and he oncecompared the project’s huge size to “an oil tanker,“now he’s revealing his roadmap for the adaptation. It’s great to hear that the TV show could have five seasons and two movies. In most cases, five seasons is a good run for a TV series, and it’s enough time to tell a complete story and satisfy fans. SinceThe Dark Toweris packed with so many fascinating moments and important characters, it would make sense to make a few films once the TV series has wrapped up. It’s unclear exactly how Flanagan would structure the TV show or two movies. Perhaps the TV show would follow most of the books and then the movies would cover books seven and eight. But given Flanagan’s love for the source material, he likely has an idea in mind.
AlthoughThe Dark Towerwas adapted for film in 2017, the movie disappointed audiences. It has a 16% Rotten Tomatoes rating and 44% on the Popcornmeter. Starring Matthew McConaughey as Walter Padick, Idris Elba as Roland Deschain, and Tom Taylor as notable child character Jake Chambers, no one was impressed with this version of the story. Jake is the focal point ofa memorable scene involving Stephen King himself, and hopefully, the TV series will include it.
Since Flanagan is so familiar with King’s work andmadea solid adaptation ofGerald’s GameandDoctor Sleep, the sequel to the classic horror movieThe Shining, fans are certain that he will do a great job withThe Dark Tower.
In the same interview, the filmmaker was asked about his “dream” King adaptation, and he answered that it’sThe Dark Tower. He said,“It’s the one that ties it all together. It’s the journey of a life and existence.”
In the meantime, fans can get ready forFlanagan’s TV adaptation ofCarrie, which has recently cast a few key roles. Although there is no release date forCarrieorThe Dark Tower, fans have two compelling and action-packed King movies to see this coming fall. AfterThe Long Walkarrives in theaters on September 12th, 2025,Edgar Wright’sThe Running Manremakewill be released on November 7th, 2025.
