Summary
Mike Flanagan is at work on aCarrieTV adaptation for Amazon Prime Video, and after he shares his version of the high schooler who doesn’t fit in and has telekinetic powers, he’s going to bringStephen King’sThe Dark Towerto the small screen.Fans have high hopes for the upcoming series, and while details are scarce, they’re anticipating that it will be better than the 2017 movie starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey.
There’s a lot to think about when it comes to theDark TowerTV adaptation, froma battle that should appear in season 1to exactly how long the show will be. There’s one particular scene that I think needs to be included, and if it isn’t, I’m not sure it will feel like a complete adaptation.
I Think The Stephen King Van Scene Needs To Be In Mike Flanagan’s Dark Tower Series
InThe Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower,Jake Chambers and Roland Deschain see that a van is approaching Stephen King and could hit him.Jake dies when he moves in front of the van and gets hit instead. A major plot point involves the characters wanting to make sure that King stays alive, which is dark, devastating, and haunting.
Along withwondering which actors will be cast in the show,I think this scene needs to be in Mike Flanagan’sDark Towerseries, or the show won’t be as powerful as it could be. It was a case of art imitating life and reflected a real-life event that happened to the beloved author.In 1999, King was walking in Maine when Bryan Smith, who was driving a van, hit him.As explained byNPR, Smith had been charged before with reckless driving and speeding, and he passed away almost one year after. King told NPR that Smith said that he was a fan of his movies and explained,“He was like a character in a Stephen King book, but only because he seemed like a real Maine type to me.“This, of course, had a profound impact on the author. According toABC News, he had a head injury along with a broken hip bone, broken ribs, and broken leg bones.
Asthis accident was such a big and important part of King’s life, it feels integral to the show.Flanagan has pointed out how long the book seriesis, which is one reason why it’s going to be a while before fans see it, but I don’t see how this scene could be omitted. Sure, it happens in the eighth and final book, which means it would be need to be saved for the final season, whenever that is. But I still think it would be moving and compelling. Of course, the scene would only work if King agrees to make a cameo, but since he has appeared inmany of his movie adaptations, I’m sure he would agree. There’s also the possibility of this scene being foreshadowed earlier, which would give fans the chance to see it sooner than the final season.
Whilesome fans like the King cameo and believe it made the series stronger, several admitted that they didn’t like it when they first read the book. Then, as time passed and they thought about it more, they were fine with it.Redditor @Weardo7shared their thoughts:
“I personally love it, but I remember my initial reaction being a bit cynical (but I was a lot younger). I couldn’t imagine the series without that element in it now, and I love the concept of a writer living in and engaging with the world they’re creating, as they’re creating it.”
Redditor @brandydaynow agreed that they found it “self-absorbed” but “in the end, I thought it worked.” The fan thinks that for King, the scene was"a tool to work through what he was going through.”
What Did Stephen King Say About The Dark Tower Adaptations?
SinceThe Dark Toweris one of his best known works, and also one of the most creative and fascinating, Stephen King has discussed it a lot throughout his career. In a 2017 interview withVulture, he talked about how tricky it was to make it into a movie. He said:
“The major challenge was to do a film based on a series of books that’s really long, about 3,000 pages. The other part of it was the decision to do a PG-13 feature adaptation of books that are extremely violent and deal with violent behaviour in a fairly graphic way. That was something that had to be overcome.”
In the same interview, King mentioned that a TV show was in the works and described it as “a complete reboot.” But,while aDark TowerTV movie was released in 2020, it didn’t make an impression. Now, fans are waiting to hear more details about Mike Flanagan’s TV series, includingwhich actors are cast in the main roles. However, there is no release date, and it will be a while before fans find outif the series changes the endingor follows the book exactly.
