What the hell is going on with The Dark Tower movie?

[Scarytown_v1legacy]

Let me start off by saying I'm a big Dark Tower fan. I read the series through high school and college and absolutely fell in love with it. While it did have its fair share of problems and Kingisms, for the most part it left me satisfied and hungry for a high budget movie/TV adaptation. For anyone that's read the series to the end knows what door (ho ho) was left open for that possibility. Then the movie production started to happen and shit went down hill. For anyone that hasn't been following the movie let me best sum up the situation: Its three month out with little to no marketing (including zero trailers) and it produced by Sony.

Here's a little a longer explanation of it's troubled history:

The rights to the movie was originally picked up for 19 dollars by J.J. Abrams waaaay back in 2007 when he was in the peak of his series Lost (Ironically he dropped a couple Stephen King Easter eggs in that). Ultimately it just sat on the shelf for 2 years before he passed it off to Universal and Ron Howard (Thus saving it from Damon Lindelof).

During Ron Howard's stint, it was looking like it was really going to come together. 3 movies were planned along with a TV series to bridge between them. Javier Bardem was offered the role of Roland. Then things got rocky on the budget/length and everything was thrown into development hell. Cut a couple years later and the project managed to crawl out of the hole with it possibly being produced now by Warner Bros. Ron was still in the captain's chair, but with Russel Crow now looking to play Roland. Unfortunately Warner Bros. passed over the project and it was scrapped again.

A couple more years passed and the series was picked up by Sony. It was then fast tracked in January 2016 to have everything completed in under a year to be released in February 2017. Nikolaj Arcel was announced as the director. Idris Elba was cast as Roland and Matthew McConaughey as Walter. New actor Tom Taylor was cast as Jake. The script was written by Akiva Goldsman and now had the story start in the middle of the series rather than at start with The Gunslinger. New Taheen characters were planned on being introduced. Characters Eddie and Susanna were left out.

While fans were dismayed by the news, it was then reveled in a tweet why it was starting in the middle of the series (Be forewarned that if you look it up, it will spoil the ending of the books). People chilled for a bit, but heard nothing for nearly 10 months. Then an unfinished trailer was leaked from China in October 2016 (if you search around YouTube enough you can still find it). At this point the movie was still on scheduled to be released in February. Not long after that the movie was pushed back to July. It was reported that reshoots were done in March. It was then pushed back another week from July to August, switching places with Sony's The Emoji Movie. Then absolute silence.

I'm not sure what all lead to this disaster (who am I kidding, it's Sony), but I have little faith that the movie will do any justice to the books. The production has been entirely too rushed and the director appears to have been overwhelmed. Casting controversy aside, my opinion is Idris Elba is not the best fit for Roland, but he's a capable enough actor to get the job done and he's the least of this productions problems. Visually the movie seems to be everywhere. Costume are incredibly off. Everyone is entirely to clean. Roland's guns are way to small. From the leaked trailer it looks like most of the story will be in New York verses Roland's world. They also seemed to have gotten rid of the more magical elements and replaced them with Sci fi. Everything just looks completely different then what I imagined when I read it. What I expecting was a tired, worn, gunslinging knight following a wizard into a dying nightmarish land of magic and machinery, while occasionally dipping into our world. Take note that I'm assuming this all from a 3 minute bootleg trailer, so there is room to change my opinion. I'm just not confident that Sony has any sort of faith in the movie coming from their market strategy. Which appears to be nothing.

Oddly enough while typing this, I'm reading that the real trailer is going to be released this week. Guess I'll find out is Sony was able to salvage this.

So what's everyone's thoughts on this?

 

[Tiger King]

it's hard to say, the weirdest thing is it is supposed to be coming out soon and there is ZERO publicity! no trailer etc!

I was ok with Idris Elba as roland, lots of people went crazy over it but he is a good actor in my eyes. Matthew McConaughey was a massive thumbs up for me, I see him as a perfect man in black.

Aaron paul wanted to play eddie and I think he would have done a good job but I don't think eddie is even in this film.

this feels rushed and will fail. I hope i'm wrong but I doubt it

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

I like Idris Elba as an actor and he has the gruff, determined quality that is ingrained in Roland's DNA. It just sticks in my craw a bit that King himself said that Roland is the archetype of Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name, and they missed an opportunity to cast either Clint or his son. Anyway, they explained Roland not being old and white by saying "Ka is a wheel", so I can accept that.

The way they've pieced together the plot for the movie off the books however is abysmal (going from what I've read). They're skipping large swathes of the book (which for time sake is understandable) but the bits they've included don't really mesh together. Also, they can't decide if they want to make this a movie series or continue it on as a TV series.

God I'd love a good Dark Tower movie. Admittedly the books went a bit downhill after the fourth one. I think after King realised his own mortality he rushed the rest of it.

 

[SirSullymore]

I kind of hope this movie fails and we get a tv series, there are a lot of things that would just work better in that format. Like Wizard and Glass, I feel like it would be very weird to have the fourth movie in a series be a prequel, but a flash back season would feel more natural imo.

 

[Imre Csete]

Honestly I don't really care, it's not going to be a faithful adaptation, so I'll just watch it for the actors goofing around. I'm kinda bummed that the series plan got axed, since TV series are all the rage nowdays. They can't do justice to the source material with feature lenght films.

God I'd love a good Dark Tower movie. Admittedly the books went a bit downhill after the fourth one. I think after King realised his own mortality he rushed the rest of it.

That's a polite way to say he turned a cool series into a goddamn self insertion fanfic, but he had his reasons.

I haven't read the "8th" book he wrote to supposedly easy the transition between the 4th and 5th because the latter books made me care so little about the saga anymore.

 

[SirSullymore]

That's a polite way to say he turned a cool series into a goddamn self insertion fanfic, but he had his reasons.

I didn't mind the Stephen King character (though I was kind of amused how he characterized the guy who hit him as the most unlikeable, irresponsible driver in history), but I absolutely hated Mordred and how the Crimson King was finally characterized.

 

[Xerosch]

Hrgh... I don't know. This seems to be one of the veeeeery few times I read a book series before it was turned into a movie (it's usually the other way around), but I don't feel it.

I only read a few stories that stayd with me as much as the Dark Tower, but I'm open for changes in the screenplay. That being said, something rubs me the wrong way about what littel I've ssen of it so far. Don't mind the casting and as much as I dislike McChonaughey, I think he's a good fit for Flagg.

I just can't shake the feeling that Sony will make the movie 'accessible' and dumb it down so much that the weirdness that drew me in at the beginning will be lost and we'll get a rather simple revenge story.

 

[happyninja42]

I kind of hope this movie fails and we get a tv series, there are a lot of things that would just work better in that format. Like Wizard and Glass, I feel like it would be very weird to have the fourth movie in a series be a prequel, but a flash back season would feel more natural imo.

Well, we did get a mini-series many years ago...and it wasn't very good.

 

[Scarytown_v1legacy]

I like Idris Elba as an actor and he has the gruff, determined quality that is ingrained in Roland's DNA. It just sticks in my craw a bit that King himself said that Roland is the archetype of Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name, and they missed an opportunity to cast either Clint or his son. Anyway, they explained Roland not being old and white by saying "Ka is a wheel", so I can accept that.

The way they've pieced together the plot for the movie off the books however is abysmal (going from what I've read). They're skipping large swathes of the book (which for time sake is understandable) but the bits they've included don't really mesh together. Also, they can't decide if they want to make this a movie series or continue it on as a TV series.

God I'd love a good Dark Tower movie. Admittedly the books went a bit downhill after the fourth one. I think after King realised his own mortality he rushed the rest of it.

While Idris Elba's acting can be top-notch, for some reason it isn't clicking for me yet. That being said, I've only heard a line or two from the leaked trailer and the rest I'm making up in my head from various other movies he's been in. I think I'm still stuck on the disconnect of how he looks in the movie (not skin color) and how he's depicted in the books. From the movie stills that are out, he's wearing very new looking and clean attire topped off with a black leather duster and no hat. In the books everything Roland has on is pieced together from his travels (using things like deer hide). The things that were man made like his jeans and boots seems to be decades old and worn to the brink. Roland's gun is also described as comically big which doesn't seem to be the case in the movie. I had always imagined the guns to be Colt Walker's, the same ones used in The Outlaw Josey Wales. This is mainly just gut reactions, but it fueled by my fear that Sony wanted this movie to be something else.

That's a polite way to say he turned a cool series into a goddamn self insertion fanfic, but he had his reasons.

I didn't mind the Stephen King character (though I was kind of amused how he characterized the guy who hit him as the most unlikeable, irresponsible driver in history), but I absolutely hated Mordred and how the Crimson King was finally characterized.

I completely agree that mini-IT and angry-hobo-Santa were definitely the weaker points of the books. It didn't help that King threw one of his most interesting characters under the bus to try and legitimize Mordred as a threat.

 

[happyninja42]

While Idris Elba's acting can be top-notch, for some reason it isn't clicking for me yet. That being said, I've only heard a line or two from the leaked trailer and the rest I'm making up in my head from various other movies he's been in. I think I'm still stuck on the disconnect of how he looks in the movie (not skin color) and how he's depicted in the books. From the movie stills that are out, he's wearing very new looking and clean attire topped off with a black leather duster and no hat. In the books everything Roland has on is pieced together from his travels (using things like deer hide). The things that were man made like his jeans and boots seems to be decades old and worn to the brink. Roland's gun is also described as comically big which doesn't seem to be the case in the movie. I had always imagined the guns to be Colt Walker's, the same ones used in The Outlaw Josey Wales. This is mainly just gut reactions, but it fueled by my fear that Sony wanted this movie to be something else.

So would the way that Denzel Washington looks in The Book of Eli be more fitting you think? The ragged clothes cobbled together kind of look for post apocalypse.

I didn't mind the Stephen King character (though I was kind of amused how he characterized the guy who hit him as the most unlikeable, irresponsible driver in history), but I absolutely hated Mordred and how the Crimson King was finally characterized.

I completely agree that mini-IT and angry-hobo-Santa were definitely the weaker points of the books. It didn't help that King threw one of his most interesting characters under the bus to try and legitimize Mordred as a threat.[/quote]

I personally got really tired of the series around....book 4 I think? IIRC, that was the one, that spent most of the book with young Roland and his first love. That book dragged on so much, and it felt like every other page, Stephen had to insert "If they only knew what was ahead of them, they wouldn't have made this choice" And I'm like "Yeah, I get it already! They have a tragic end! We know this! This ENTIRE book is a flashback before his life went to shit! In the immortal words of Monty Python...GET ON WITH IT!" After that, I was just finishing the series, in the vain hope it would finish well...but it didn't. So, meh.

I am curious if they are going to let the first movie be as dark as the book though. Considering some of the choices Roland makes near the end....one significant choice in particular, that might not fly well with today's audiences for a protagonist.

 

[Dalisclock]

I haven't read the "8th" book he wrote to supposedly easy the transition between the 4th and 5th because the latter books made me care so little about the saga anymore.

It's entertaining enough in it's own way, but it doesn't add anything to the story and it's 3 stories nested in each other for no particular reason.

Which is still better then "Hey, here's an entire book about Roland's past, except not the part anyone actually cares about". Sigh, at least there's the comics which cover that gap and when they do retell the Wizard and Glass bit, they at least have the decency to be quick about it instead of dragging it out forever.

 

[Hawk of Battle]

I am curious if they are going to let the first movie be as dark as the book though. Considering some of the choices Roland makes near the end....one significant choice in particular, that might not fly well with today's audiences for a protagonist.

Well, this movie is supposed to be a sequel to the books, so presumably this new Roland has learned how to be a better person, and not make quite so many ruthless sacrifices in pursuit of the tower, so... yeah.

 

[Scarytown_v1legacy]

So would the way that Denzel Washington looks in The Book of Eli be more fitting you think? The ragged clothes cobbled together kind of look for post apocalypse.

Sadly I haven't seen that movie. I'm guessing look wise its like The Road? While I wouldn't want Roland to go full on hobo, it would be nice to show that it's a struggle in his world to keep what you got from going to shit because everything is dying. I mean one of the huge points to the books is the amount of decay everything seems to be experiencing, both living and inanimate. There very little of anything that could be considered "fresh" in Roland's world.

I personally got really tired of the series around....book 4 I think? IIRC, that was the one, that spent most of the book with young Roland and his first love. That book dragged on so much, and it felt like every other page, Stephen had to insert "If they only knew what was ahead of them, they wouldn't have made this choice" And I'm like "Yeah, I get it already! They have a tragic end! We know this! This ENTIRE book is a flashback before his life went to shit! In the immortal words of Monty Python...GET ON WITH IT!" After that, I was just finishing the series, in the vain hope it would finish well...but it didn't. So, meh.

I am curious if they are going to let the first movie be as dark as the book though. Considering some of the choices Roland makes near the end....one significant choice in particular, that might not fly well with today's audiences for a protagonist.

Stephen King's writing can be a chore if your not used it it. He's a gardener instead of an architect, so he himself probably had no idea when he planned to "get on with it" when he was dropping foreshadowing. If you want to finish the series, you might try the audio book form. My wife couldn't stomach reading King's way of writing, but found it pleasant when somebody read it to her.

As for the movie being dark, I read that it's suppose to be PG-13. I also think they are skipping major parts of the Gunslinger and meshing in parts of The Drawing of Three and The Wastelands. If you don't intend on finishing the books, it might help reading a synopsis of the series to understand what the movieverse is doing and why I don't think that the dark choice your thinking of is going to happen.

 

[Scarytown_v1legacy]

I haven't read the "8th" book he wrote to supposedly easy the transition between the 4th and 5th because the latter books made me care so little about the saga anymore.

It's entertaining enough in it's own way, but it doesn't add anything to the story and it's 3 stories nested in each other for no particular reason.

Which is still better then "Hey, here's an entire book about Roland's past, except not the part anyone actually cares about". Sigh, at least there's the comics which cover that gap and when they do retell the Wizard and Glass bit, they at least have the decency to be quick about it instead of dragging it out forever.

I always find it interesting that most fan's seem to be divided between Book 3 or Book 4 as being the high point of the series. I myself loved Book 4 and thought it added a lot of depth to Roland. It might of had something to do with me being a hormonal teenager at the time. Plus I am sucker for love stories.

 

[happyninja42]

Stephen King's writing can be a chore if your not used it it. He's a gardener instead of an architect, so he himself probably had no idea when he planned to "get on with it" when he was dropping foreshadowing. If you want to finish the series, you might try the audio book form. My wife couldn't stomach reading King's way of writing, but found it pleasant when somebody read it to her.

Oh I did finish the series, and I personally found it very underwhelming. When I got to the last page, I was like "that's it?". I don't know, I guess I just don't care for King's writing. I've read other books by him, and while they might have a few bits here and there that are really good, for the most part, it feels like literary masturbation for him.
As to that book specifically, I wouldn't mind the foreshadowing, if he hadn't done it so much. Foreshadowing is a perfectly valid tool in storytelling, but seriously, like every significant scene, he would end it with that literary equivalent of a "duh duh duuuuh!" sting, and it frankly got old.

As for the movie being dark, I read that it's suppose to be PG-13. I also think they are skipping major parts of the Gunslinger and meshing in parts of The Drawing of Three and The Wastelands. If you don't intend on finishing the books, it might help reading a synopsis of the series to understand what the movieverse is doing and why I don't think that the dark choice your thinking of is going to happen.

Oh I'm pretty much 100% certain they won't do the specific choice from book 1 I'm talking about. Because in today's rage/rant culture, it would be instantly boycotted, and mired in controversy. I would actually be impressed if they do it, but I'm not terribly optimistic.

 

[Pyrian]

I would probably call book 2 the high point of the series. It's weird like book 1, maybe even weirder, but the plot structure holds together really well (whereas 1 kind of feels like a bunch of vignettes connected only in theme). I thought three was meh, sort of forgettable. I'd try to say why but I have literally forgotten most of it. Four is different; IMO the flashback story is really good, it hangs together in a way that few Dark Tower bits do. But the "outer" story is, again, very meh.

5-6-7 came out in very short succession and, much more than the others, come across as a single, extended work. There are some good bits here and there, but it doesn't exactly have a climactic finale, which IMO is a shame. Instead of building up to an epic confrontation, both sides are reduced to very little and the final skirmish is more like a piffle.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

I would probably call book 2 the high point of the series. It's weird like book 1, maybe even weirder, but the plot structure holds together really well...

I thoroughly agree with that. Although I do have a soft spot for Wizard and Glass.

After seeing the new posters for the movie I have to say I'm even less impressed. I know it's early days, but it doesn't seem to capture the vibe of the book.

 

[Dalisclock]

I haven't read the "8th" book he wrote to supposedly easy the transition between the 4th and 5th because the latter books made me care so little about the saga anymore.

It's entertaining enough in it's own way, but it doesn't add anything to the story and it's 3 stories nested in each other for no particular reason.

Which is still better then "Hey, here's an entire book about Roland's past, except not the part anyone actually cares about". Sigh, at least there's the comics which cover that gap and when they do retell the Wizard and Glass bit, they at least have the decency to be quick about it instead of dragging it out forever.

I always find it interesting that most fan's seem to be divided between Book 3 or Book 4 as being the high point of the series. I myself loved Book 4 and thought it added a lot of depth to Roland. It might of had something to do with me being a hormonal teenager at the time. Plus I am sucker for love stories.

I usually tell people to read book 4 only to the point they get off Blaine the Mono, just because of the whole cliffhanger he wrote in there. I might have cared more for the Susan thing if her death hadn't already been spoiled for us mutiple times over the previous 3 books, to the expense of giving us next to nothing about the fall of Roland's Kingdom. Not to mention the fact they make almost no forward progress at all.

3, OTOH, had quite a bit of worldbuilding, a fair bit of progress towards the tower, the whole time paradox with Jake both being dead and not being dead and Blaine. It's just a shame King decided to end with "Do they die? Wait for the next book".

 

[Pyrian]

It just took him six years to figure a way to write himself out of that corner. XD

 

[JimB]

It doesn't add anything to the story and it's three stories nested in each other for no particular reason.

Not so. I can go into more detail tomorrow if you ask, but for now it's late, so I'm just going to say the entire Dark Tower series is about writing fiction; it's an examination of how stories are told. That's why there are so many references to his own creations as well as to other works of fiction in the series. Stories within stories within stories are another way of exploring the series' themes.