Ron Howard taking on Stephen King's The Dark Tower?

[metallicorphan]

http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/108/1086964p1.html

Director Ron Howard, screenwriter Akiva Goldsman  and producer Brian Grazer -- the Oscar-winning trio behind A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code, and Angels & Demons -- are in talks to adapt The Dark Tower, the acclaimed bestselling lit series by Stephen King, into a film trilogy. Universal is said to be angling to seal a deal for the rights to the fantasy western saga.

will a trilogy be enough for the 7 books(soon to be 8)..maybe not,as a TV series is also in the works apparently

King, Imagine Entertainment and Weed Road are also said to be developing Dark Tower as a television series.

Ron Howard certainly is a great director,whatever you thought of DeVinci and A +D....so,i am quite confident with him at the helm,if that is indeed what the situation will be(as he owns Imagine film studios with Grazer,so it could just be an Imagine project and not Ron Howard himself)

[LoneStarSpur]

I would settle for a "Gunslinger" movie by Howard.

[Kagath]

Interesting on an 8th book. I still need to read and reread these. Never got past the 4th book. In my defense, that's all there was at the time...

Edit: Dumbass me. I did read the 4th book. Thought it went a little slow most times to be honest.

[Crux]

If a single book from that series was to be turned into a movie, it needs to be Wizard and the Glass.

[metallicorphan]

If a single book from that series was to be turned into a movie, it needs to be Wizard and the Glass.

i agree that that was one of the best ...but they would not know what Rolands connection was(Roland would just be another character in that time frame) ..and there would be no dark Tower in fact as it pretty much doesn't exist in that book

i wonder from the trilogy how they would deal with W+G,with that one being set in the past..would they devote a full film to it like the books do,or just a flashback?(which wouldn't do it justice)...maybe the TV series would play a part for that

as much as i want all 7..8 books involved,i would also like to see The Little Sisters of Eluria,which is a short story in Everything's Eventual that stars Roland ..i quite liked that,maybe have that as a flashback TV episode,as again its set i think After W+G but before The Gunslinger

and with The Talisman and Black House also,meant to be making an appearance sometime...i wonder if it would mention the connection between the two like the two series of books do

[CeeKay]

I just had a vision of the TV series being one of those syndicated ones loosely based off of the books......

[Sarkus]

I've been reading the series for the first time over the last year and am just now finishing the last book (about 100 pages or so to go).  I have a hard time seeing this story being told as a movie trilogy - think of everything that would have to be cut! 

Ideally, they'd get HBO or someone to commit to a Band of Brothers/The Pacific type of thing where you do it as a mini-series with about 10-20 total hours of film time split up into something like 2+ hour "episodes."  That's the only way I could see it remaining true to the source material without significant deviation (even if I could live with them axing all the stuff in the later books that invovles a certain real-life person  ).

[YellowKing]

I think it could be done. A lot would have to be cut, obviously, but I think there is a lot that can be cut without sacrificing the narrative.

The key books in my opinion are: The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three, The Wastelands, Wizard & Glass, and about half of The Dark Tower.

Wolves of the Calla could potentially be reduced to a single sequence inside the movie, as could most of Song of Susannah.

My suggestion:

Make Wizard & Glass the first movie, or integrate it via flashback in with The Gunslinger. (While The Gunslinger is important for setting up Roland and Jake's characters, it's not very deep plot-wise and could be condensed pretty easily).

Combine The Drawing of the Three and The Wastelands into a 2nd movie (this would be a killer middle sequence)

Make Wolves of the Calla and Song of Susannah the first half of the last movie, and end it with all The Dark Tower stuff that doesn't involve a certain real-life person.

[Kevin Grey]

That's weird- I had thought that King had sold the rights years ago to Carlton Cruse and Damon Lindelof for a dollar because he liked Lost so much and was confident that they would do justice to it if they wanted to make it.  Doesn't seem to fit his MO to turn around and sell it to Imagine and let them do whatever they want. 

I do think Wizard and Glass could relatively easily be adapted into a standalone film. Either post apocayptic or they could provably take out all of the technological elements and make it a straight up Western. 

[denoginizer]

I think it could be done. A lot would have to be cut, obviously, but I think there is a lot that can be cut without sacrificing the narrative.

The key books in my opinion are: The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three, The Wastelands, Wizard & Glass, and about half of The Dark Tower.

Wolves of the Calla could potentially be reduced to a single sequence inside the movie, as could most of Song of Susannah.

My suggestion:

Make Wizard & Glass the first movie, or integrate it via flashback in with The Gunslinger. (While The Gunslinger is important for setting up Roland and Jake's characters, it's not very deep plot-wise and could be condensed pretty easily).

Combine The Drawing of the Three and The Wastelands into a 2nd movie (this would be a killer middle sequence)

Make Wolves of the Calla and Song of Susannah the first half of the last movie, and end it with all The Dark Tower stuff that doesn't involve a certain real-life person.

I agree with this 100%.  My concern with this series is that it starts off amazing and then meanders and peters out at the end.  Not a great formula for a movie trilogy.  Honestly Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, and the last book all run together for me, so combining them and making them the last movie could possibly work.  

[WarPig]

A cameo by Anthony Hopkins reprising his role as Ted Brautigan would be sheer geek love.

[Scuzz]

They should make a movie of the Black Company Trilogy........the first 3 books.

[mytocles]

I was just thinking about rereading both The Dark Tower and The Talisman - two of my favorite series/ books ever.  Now I might wait to see the filmed versions so I won't be too disappointed by whatever is cut or not cut.

But, please, don't cut the DT part about the Oy Boy (we still call one of our cats that sometimes, due to his resemblance to the character!)

Can't wait...   

[Sarkus]

That's weird- I had thought that King had sold the rights years ago to Carlton Cruse and Damon Lindelof for a dollar because he liked Lost so much and was confident that they would do justice to it if they wanted to make it.  Doesn't seem to fit his MO to turn around and sell it to Imagine and let them do whatever they want. 

According to this article it looks like the Lost guys gave up on it and King is involved in the Imagine project.

And don't forget that King was heavily involved in The Stand miniseries, so he's not opposed to making changes for TV or movies.

[Kevin Grey]

And don't forget that King was heavily involved in The Stand miniseries, so he's not opposed to making changes for TV or movies.

Yeah, in general, King has no problem with having his work adapted.  However I vaguely recall and EW article after Lindelof/Cuse got the rights where King implied that he had deliberately avoided selling the adaptation rights before for  for The Dark Tower because it was too personal for him and he made a specific exception for Darlton (hence selling it for a $1).  

EDIT- Ah, from that link I guess it had been $19 not $1.00. 

I'm suprised that King seems to have so much respect for Goldsman.  I wouldn't have guessed it based on Goldman's work. 

[metallicorphan]

I was just thinking about rereading both The Dark Tower and The Talisman - two of my favorite series/ books ever.  Now I might wait to see the filmed versions so I won't be too disappointed by whatever is cut or not cut.

But, please, don't cut the DT part about the Oy Boy (we still call one of our cats that sometimes, due to his resemblance to the character!)

Can't wait...   

Oy was the best characater...but jeez when i first saw a picture of him in one of the last 3 books,it was nothing like i imagined him,i think he looked like a Racoon in the picture,i had him as something completely different(i actually had him pictured as Cyril Sneer's Pet in The Racoons Cartoon show,if anyone remembers that)

[EddieA]

The big question - Who are they going to get to play

Spoiler for Hiden:

Stephen King?

[CeeKay]

The big question - Who are they going to get to play

Spoiler for Hiden:

Stephen King?

I heard it's going to be:

Spoiler for Hiden:

Marlon Wayans

[Kagath]

I was just thinking about rereading both The Dark Tower and The Talisman - two of my favorite series/ books ever.  Now I might wait to see the filmed versions so I won't be too disappointed by whatever is cut or not cut.

But, please, don't cut the DT part about the Oy Boy (we still call one of our cats that sometimes, due to his resemblance to the character!)

Can't wait...   

Oy was the best characater...but jeez when i first saw a picture of him in one of the last 3 books,it was nothing like i imagined him,i think he looked like a Racoon in the picture,i had him as something completely different(i actually had him pictured as Cyril Sneer's Pet in The Racoons Cartoon show,if anyone remembers that)

I always pictured Oy as a cross between a possum and a raccoon.

[rickfc]

Casting would be a huge deal maker or breaker for me.  I can't think of anyone out there that could pull off Roland of Gilead.  

[LoneStarSpur]

Casting would be a huge deal maker or breaker for me.  I can't think of anyone out there that could pull off Roland of Gilead.  

Viggo Mortensen?

[metallicorphan]

I was just thinking about rereading both The Dark Tower and The Talisman - two of my favorite series/ books ever.  Now I might wait to see the filmed versions so I won't be too disappointed by whatever is cut or not cut.

But, please, don't cut the DT part about the Oy Boy (we still call one of our cats that sometimes, due to his resemblance to the character!)

Can't wait...   

Oy was the best characater...but jeez when i first saw a picture of him in one of the last 3 books,it was nothing like i imagined him,i think he looked like a Racoon in the picture,i had him as something completely different(i actually had him pictured as Cyril Sneer's Pet in The Racoons Cartoon show,if anyone remembers that)

I always pictured Oy as a cross between a possum and a raccoon.

oh then the pictures in the last books were prolly alright for you

actually it wasn't Cyril Sneers pet i was thinking of in The Racoons it was Gary Oldmans Desk pet in The Fifth Element

Spoiler for Hiden:

but brown,and with longer legs

[rickfc]

Casting would be a huge deal maker or breaker for me.  I can't think of anyone out there that could pull off Roland of Gilead.  

Viggo Mortensen?

Maybe...Thinking of all the roles I've seen him in, his voice doesn't sound right to me.  I mean, in the books, Jake sees a poster with Clint Eastwood, and it was Roland.  Except for the eyes.  That's who I see in my head.  It's took bad that Clint's too old for the part.

[LoneStarSpur]

Casting would be a huge deal maker or breaker for me.  I can't think of anyone out there that could pull off Roland of Gilead.  

Viggo Mortensen?

Maybe...Thinking of all the roles I've seen him in, his voice doesn't sound right to me.  I mean, in the books, Jake sees a poster with Clint Eastwood, and it was Roland.  Except for the eyes.  That's who I see in my head.  It's took bad that Clint's too old for the part.

Yeah, there is the voice. But he pulled off the cowboy stuff pretty good in Appaloosa and if you combine that char with some History of Violence and Eastern Promises I think he could pull it off.

[metallicorphan]

Casting would be a huge deal maker or breaker for me.  I can't think of anyone out there that could pull off Roland of Gilead.  

Viggo Mortensen?

put Sam Worthington in there somewhere,he seems to be in everything bastard else!!

[CeeKay]

It's been awhile but for some reason I can picture the guy who played rorshach playing Eddie.

[rickfc]

It's been awhile but for some reason I can picture the guy who played rorshach playing Eddie.

Eddie's young and handsome.  Fail.

[CeeKay]

It's been awhile but for some reason I can picture the guy who played rorshach playing Eddie.

Eddie's young and handsome.  Fail.

I thought Eddie was a strung out junkie.

[rickfc]

It's been awhile but for some reason I can picture the guy who played rorshach playing Eddie.

Eddie's young and handsome.  Fail.

I thought Eddie was a strung out junkie.

He was when Roland first 'draws' him into his world.  He's in his early 20's and often described has handsome by King once he's over his addiction.

[CeeKay]

from this picture:



Roland looks almost like Clint Eastwood....

[rickfc]

from this picture:



Roland looks almost like Clint Eastwood....

He's supposed to.  That's who King modeled Roland after.

[Sarkus]

from this picture:



Roland looks almost like Clint Eastwood....

He's supposed to.  That's who King modeled Roland after.

I kind of wish the current version of the books didn't include the author commentary stuff at the beginning because it'd be interesting to see what a reader would come up with on their own without King beating the "based on Eastwood in the Dollar films character" angle so much.  I wonder how much people would pick up on it on their own, even though there are some references in the books here and there.

[rickfc]

from this picture:



Roland looks almost like Clint Eastwood....

He's supposed to.  That's who King modeled Roland after.

I kind of wish the current version of the books didn't include the author commentary stuff at the beginning because it'd be interesting to see what a reader would come up with on their own without King beating the "based on Eastwood in the Dollar films character" angle so much.  I wonder how much people would pick up on it on their own, even though there are some references in the books here and there.

I made reference to it in a post above, but even if you took that out of the books, there's still at least the one passage where Jake is in New York, sees a poster for Dirty Harry, I think, and stops dead in his tracks as it's a spitting image of the gunslinger, "except the eyes".

[Jaddison]

There would have to be 2 Rolands cast.  Young and whatever indeterminate age he is.

Daniel Craig or Christian Bale would probably do fine as Roland as would Mortensen.  Young Roland I really have no clue

[rickfc]

Christian Bale would probably do fine

All I hear is the bat-growl and I cringe.   

[metallicorphan]

Young Roland I really have no clue

Shia Labeouf of course,hahahaha

[CeeKay]

Young Roland I really have no clue

Shia Labeouf of course,hahahaha

or one of the twilight kids.

[Jaddison]

Cuthbert was far more interesting as a character anyway.

[YellowKing]

I pictured Oy as one of these rascals:



It's called a binturong.

[Jaddison]

Thinking about Roland and his blue eyes Hugh Laurie might make an outstanding Roland and he seems to have a done a lot of roles that indicate he could do Roland very well.