The Dark Tower reboot has been in the works for quite some time. However, after multiple delays, Mike Flanagan finally delivered some good news. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the filmmaker revealed that the reboot is a work in progress. “It was stalled first by me moving from Netflix to Amazon and stalled again by the strikes,” he said. “It’s progressing, and we’re further along than we’ve ever been on it.”
The Dark Tower is an eight-book series by Stephen King that explores a blend of genres, including dark fantasy, science fiction, horror, and Western. The story follows a boy who’s haunted by visions of a dark tower from a parallel reality. He must team up with the tower’s disillusioned guardian to stop an evil warlock known as the Man in Black, who plans to use the boy to destroy the tower and open the gates of Hell, according to the official synopsis.
The book anthology was previously adapted into a film released in August 2017. Directed by Nikolaj Arcel, the film starred Idris Elba in the lead role alongside Matthew McConaughey, Tom Taylor, and Claudia Kim. Ironically, while the movie was a commercial hit, earning $113.2 million at the global box office, it received largely negative reviews.
Criticism primarily focused on the film’s attempt to condense multiple novels from the anthology into a short runtime. However, Elba’s performance was well-received by audiences. Flanagan is now bringing a television adaptation of the sci-fi fantasy, which will include new elements but remain faithful to the original story.
At San Diego Comic-Con 2024, the director discussed the 2017 film and deemed it a loss despite its financial success. “We just failed at The Dark Tower,” he said at the event. “We tried to put the pieces together. Everybody had a different point of view.” According to Flanagan, everyone brought their hopes and dreams into the film, but the result “led to not very much” after everything got compressed.
