It’s long been rumored that the ambitious plans to adapt Stephen King’s opus, The Dark Tower would include a tie-in TV series. It took years for the movie to come together, with Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey in the leading roles. But now, the television incarnation of the franchise is beginning to take shape.
Entertainment Weekly broke the story that the proposed Dark Tower TV series will adapt Wizard and Glass, King’s fourth novel in the series. Wizard and Glass was primarily a prequel tale about the lead character, Roland Deschain, and his early encounters with the Man in Black. Since the Roland of the TV series will be a much younger man, the role will be recast. However, Elba will reportedly appear in framing sequences of the series as he relates the story to other characters. It’s not clear if McConaughey will appear as the Man in Black, but the character can change his face, so his involvement may not be necessary.
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Screenwriter and executive producer Akiva Goldsman described the series as an origin story while speaking to EW. “In the movie, Roland is suffering tremendous loss. The most concrete, personal, existential heartbreak a character can have. If the movie chronicles his final reach toward hope again, the TV show is the loss of that hope.”
The Dark Tower director Nikolaj Arcel and co-writer Anders Thomas Jensen are writing the pilot script for the series, which doesn’t currently have a network or streaming service to call home. But if the show goes forward, plans are in place for a ten to thirteen episode first season.
Are you excited about the potential Dark Tower TV series? Which network should pick it up? And who would you cast as the younger Roland? Share your thoughts below!
