Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Akiva Goldsman Planning to Adapt Stephen King's The Dark Tower Series
Posted 05.03.10 by BrentJS
Producer-director J.J. Abrams announced last November that he was no longer moving forward with plans to develop an adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower series because the material was "tricky" and "such an important piece of writing" that it deserved more attention than he was able to give to it. The rights to the property, which Abrams reportedly purchased from King for only $19, reverted back to the author shortly thereafter. Now, THR has reported that Ron Howard , Brian Grazer and Akiva Goldsman are making plans to adapt The Dark Tower.
Combining elements of fantasy, horror and science fiction in a Western setting, The Dark Tower series is comprised of one short story and seven novels, with an eighth in the works, and has been described by King as his "magnum opus." The series focuses on the exploits of Roland Deschain, an Arthur-ian gunslinger on a quest to find the nexus of all universes located within the fabled Dark Tower. The series contains many references to characters and situations found in King's other works and has spawned a prequel comic book series and an online game entitled Discordia.
The trio's plan for The Dark Tower is to begin with a feature that would set up an ongoing TV series. Goldsman would write the feature, with Howard directing and Grazer producing. No option deal has been made, but it was speculated in the THR article that Universal, home to Howard and Grazer's Imagine Entertainment production company, would be the studio to release the movie. Imagine's TV division would then produce the series.
While King fans have been clamoring to see an adaptation of The Dark Tower for years, the recent news has not been well received, mostly due to the attachment of Goldsman as writer. Goldsman is considered by many to be the man who destroyed the first Batman franchise as the writer of the poorly received Batman & Robin movie.