The long-awaited adaptation of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series has been given somewhat of a hopeful update by acclaimed writer/director Mike Flanagan. The Doctor Sleep auteur acquired the rights to King’s epic saga in 2022, and has been steadily working on the project ever since. Beginning in 1982 with the publication of ‘The Gunslinger,’ King’s seminal work stretches across eight novels, including the prequel ‘The Wind Through the Keyhole,’ which was published in 2012.
Appearing on the Talking Scared podcast, Flanagan was asked about the status of The Dark Tower, and if any of his other recent projects are perhaps getting in the way of it moving forward at Amazon. For example: The Exorcist, which Flanagan was recently tapped to take over at Blumhouse following the exit of David Gordon Green in 2023. Flanagan assured us all that no, his other projects are not hindering The Dark Tower in any way.
Oh it’s not in the way. They coexist very well. I think the trick with The Dark Tower is just it still takes an enormous amount of time to get going.
The Gerald’s Game director would elaborate further, saying that despite the rumors, The Dark Tower hasn’t stalled, and that it’s just a matter of getting all his ducks in a row. He knew going in that the project was going to be something that would take a lot of time to get right, and that he was perfectly capable of working on other projects at the same time.
“We’re further along than the last time we spoke. It seems to be moving on its own momentum. There’s so much logistical, boring, legal stuff that we have to kind of machete our way through to get that thing moving. But yeah, it has not at all stalled and none of the other work that’s kind of emerged has in any way taken away from it.
“It became so clear to me that that kind of oil-tanker of a project was just going to be moving along. It’s perfectly feasible for me to be working on other things at the same time. I wish that wasn’t the case, and there’s going to be a point, hopefully soon, where that project needs to knock everything else out of the way. The Dark Tower kind of has to assert itself. We’re just not there, and I couldn’t make that the case now if I wanted to. There’s just too much we’re still having to get through to get it up.”
Mike Flanagan is Perfect for The Dark Tower
Perhaps no other director understands the nuances of King’s work better than Flanagan. Frank Darabont, Rob Reiner, and Andy Muschietti are a few others that come to mind, but when it comes right down to it, Flanagan is the perfect choice to bring The Dark Tower to life. He has the experience of telling long-form stories that stretch the course of multiple episodes, and with King’s series spanning so many novels, Flanagan knows that this is a project that is going to need room to breathe.
He’s already proven himself with Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep, two novels that seemed almost impossible to bring to life given their rich undertones, but Flanagan handled them in such a way that they managed to capture the essence of King, while at the same time giving the writer/director the chance to put his own flair into the projects. The results – in both cases – were spectacular.
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When it comes to The Dark Tower, it’s best not to rush things if fans want it done right, and Flanagan knows this, which is why he’s taking his time. This has been a dream project of his for decades, as he’s said himself on many occasions. He’s not just a filmmaker, he’s a fan. One only has to look at his pinned post on X to know this, in which he eulogizes the late Scott Wampler in a way that hearkens back to King’s original prose. Rest assured, constant readers, Flanagan remembers the face of his father, and when the time is right, he’ll do justice to The Dark Tower in a way that will surprise even the staunchest of naysayers.