Wednesday
Apr292009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009 at 12:44AM J.J. Abrams Says 'Dark Tower' May Follow 'Lost'
Lost celebrates its 100th episode tonight, with the eventual goal somewhere around 125 episodes. In case you don't know, it'll all wrap up next spring. And after it's over, J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof may finally get to work on one of the more ambitious adaptations you can even imagine: Stephen King's Dark Tower.
Reader Comments (43)
There is a lot that should be left out I think. Also, there are some things that were messed up in the writing that should be fixed. My main pet peeve being when that kid can draw things and they become real and they forget to draw new legs for the chick (haven't read the books in a while forget her name).
I dont read so all I see is Captain Mal of Firefly with a giant bird in the background.
@orinn
Captain Mal is a little bitch compared to that man. He is Roland, THE gunslinger.
This just made my day. If they made this into a 7 part movie series, there might be actual tears of joy. The tick tock man, Eddie, Susan, Roland, Jake. Now I know my quest is to reread all the books again this summer. Ending will kind of piss movie goers off, but meh.
The series is an infinite loop. If the movies could pull that trick off, leaving the desire to pop disc one in right after finishing disc 7, it would be pretty awesome. I just don't know if there is enough in The Gunslinger to stoke the fires for six more movies. Maybe they should film two movies to start and release them a month or two apart. Then do one a year for the next five years?
Also, where does Star Trek get left in all of this? Is Abrams walking away for the sequels? Cause you know Paramount has already ordered about 11 of them.
They should start the series of movies right after the final book. Since everything is a loop, they would have the freedom to change things a bit but still leave the original story alone. Maybe get Roland one step closer.
Actually, as I thought about this post further (passing the time at my boring job, of course) I began to consider that Stephen King's material, with the exception of the stuff Frank Darabont directed, has been successful in only one medium: TV.
Perhaps people are jumping the gun at this news, imaging the Dark Tower to be a Harry Potter like series of films, when actually, for as dense as it is, might lend itself to a five or six year television series much better.
And who better to do this, I wonder? The man with two letters for a first name, that's who.
Although I've read this series 4 times and love it so much I'm getting ready to start again - I just can't imagine this being successful as a movie. Or even 7 movies.
They definitely couldn't do it justice with just one or two movies. But I don't see them being able to keep up the momentum for 7.
And what adult actor would want to sign on for 7 movies playing the same character? By the time he got done his own mother would be calling him Roland.
I don't know...I hope they do and I hope they don't. Either way, though, what about Hugh Laurie? He definitely has the scruffy look and can surely play the attitude card. And he already knows how to limp!
Little off topic but I'm starting to think the secret to the last season/episodes of LOST is revealed by the end of The Dark Tower... since Lost plays with time so much I bet the final episode catches us back up to when the Losties board 815 and its all one big loop too... go from popping the last disc of season six out and popping the first of one in.
These guys need to give up on Lost. That show is the biggest piece of S### rip off show out there. I admit watching the first two seasons, then as I hoped the rest of america would, got sick of the bs. All the questions, little things that popped up to not make sense, I mean come on!! Just end Lost, yeah yeah some people are off the island some on, who cares anymore really!!! And they better do the DT justice, otherwise they will go down complete fools as far as entertainers. This would have to go down as a series of movies in order to do it right. I hope they don't skimp, I will be pissed off if that happens. I am re-reading the whole series and have no problem sitting through a few films to see it brought to life. Hell look at Star Wars for sake!!
Go throw yourself in front of a train MikeG from Chicago
J.J is a genius
LOST is Gold
and You're a Fag
Nuff said...
to be honest i'm torn. of course i'd love to see the 7 films, but lets be realistic we'd be lucky to get three. So maybe a trilogy? That seems a lot more realistic. I know that a lot will have to be cut out, but i could be worth it. here's how i see it playing out
film 1: mostly drawing of the three with flashback revealing scenes from the gunsling (focusing especially on jake's death and the circumstances that lead to them. This film will culminate in jake's rescue and his reunion with roland.
film 2: pretty much lud, blain, and the calla. i know i'm skipping roland's youth, but to be honest i didn't love that book, plus that story has already been told in graphic novel form.
film 3: song of susannah and the dark tower. i think king's involvement needs cutting down to just one meeting, otherwise it'll seem a bit too back and forthy for one film. the ending stays. it has to. thats how it is.
the way i see it either we get this trilogy, we get a mini-series, we get nothing. that's my two cents. comments?
I trust JJ above anyone to make this happen. King must feel the same way - he has withheld this "life's work" from hollywood for so long. With that said, I am scared this will go the wrong way. My vote: DO IT RIGHT, or DON'T DO IT AT ALL.
Regardless, the movie "adaptation" will NOT be the same experience. It can't be. In looking at book-to-movie adaptations that have seen epic success (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings), all of them have been followed by fan disappointment. There will always be interpretive conflicts and disagreements. Specific elements will get "lost in translation" between Kings hand and the script writers. We must approach it open-minded and view it as a different experience all-together.
Mayhap the man in black at the beginning of Lost's season finale (the guy talking to Jacob on the beach) be a prelude to JJ's mind being more and more on Dark Tower these days???
I think the way to make the first movie accessible to the general audience would be 20% "The Gunslinger" and 80% "The Drawing of the Three". Start with The Man in Black, the shootout at Tull, it kills me to say this but skip Jake altogether, move on to the palaver, then right on to the Lobstrosities and the Drawing. I'd LOVE to see a fully realized Gunslinger movie, but I'm not confident that the the first book by itself translates well enough to kick off an entire film series.
UNLESS...Abrams and Lindelof make some serious magic happen and add A LOT to the screenplay.
The second way to start the series would be to piggyback on the success of the comics and tell the story of young Roland first because it would be hard to get away with doing that big of a flashback four movies into the series.
Eh, I'm glad I'm not the one making those decisions. I take the easy job and just watch it once it's been made.
JJ will never be able to do the Dark Tower series justice. Stephen King couldnt have picked a worse person....just look at Cloverfield people!!!!!!!! I know I will be sorely dissappointed...
Skip Jake? Are you out of your freakin mind!!!!???????
As a fan of JJ Abrams, I wish he'd consider working on something else. Stephen King wrote some amazing stuff - "The Shining", "The Stand", "It", "Carrie", some outstanding short stories and novelettes - but "The Dark Tower" really does not belong on that list. A very long, disjointed story with a beginning written when King was a young man followed by the bulk, written when King was quite a bit older and not necessarily consistent with earlier portions. The story didn't go anywhere, trivialized and threw away one of his most interesting villains, and ended with a silly, overused sf/fantasy gag.
I've been tortured by the Dark Tower so long now. I would love to see it come to life but I truly believe that it would have to be as a television series, more than a mini-series and probably longer than the time constrants of 7 films. It could probably done in 4 seasons, maybe 5.
Think about the vast depth of content! Some of it truly isn't necessary but most of the novels are fast moving action sequence. There isn't a lot of extraneous fat to cut out and hope it would all still make sense.
From watching the first few seasons of Lost it was blaringly apparent that Abrams was not only a fan but the show was definitely influenced by King's work in the Dark Tower. If it is going to transition from novel to picture, I hope Abrams is the one to do it.
As for the commentary about the Dark Tower, it is absolutely true that discrepancies exist between the books and there are vast differences in King's style from the beginning to the end. As a reader, I find the differences interesting. And yes, I think most of us would agree, the final scenes feel too easy and contrived but all-in-all it was a wonderful ride with characters that will continue to run wild in my head for a long time. I often wonder if someday we will find an alternate ending hidden away somewhere, the truth of what really waits at the top of the stairs. Either way, it couldn't have been easy to let Roland go, to put him away forever. I have to believe that somewhere in Mr. King's head Roland continues to fight on. He does in mine.
Besides, can you believe the Dark Tower was ever meant for us to approve or disapprove? It was the story that had to be told. Take it or leave it.
I've been waitin' for this movie since I read the first book. It's been about three years now. I was so excited when I read this, even though I know they'll probably mess something up. I honestly think it wouldn't be too good as a TV series, so I'm glad they're doing movies.
LOST is it's own thing, the man in black during the season finale was Easu - Jacob's twin brother, look no further than the bible for that one.
I'd love to see a movie version of the Dark Tower, but let's face it it won't live up to the story we created in our head. If anyone was going to butcher the Dark Tower story it might as well be JJ.
If there are capable hands that could do the series of books justice, it's J.J. Abrams. There will be things left out (when is there not in a book to movie adaptation?) but, hopefully, the overall story will be left intact. Seeing the guns of Arthur Eld, forged from Excalibur, will something I've been waiting for since reading book 1 over 20 years ago.
I would love to see the series made into a six or seven film series (6 as in pushing "gunslinger and drawing together cause i found gunslinger kinda boring). I totally agree with hugh laurie being Roland if he could pull off the whole bad ass motif. He's exactly how i pictured him. I'm just finishing the books for a second time say thank ya big big and i've fell in love all over again. Long days and pleasant knights
Wow! I was pretty speechless when I first read that King sold the rights to Abrams. I couldn't stop grinning for hours. I'm excited as well as nervous. The Dark Tower series has touched and moved me more than anything else I've ever read, so it's obviously very personal to me and I don't see how anyone could totally faithfully adapt it. However, even though I didn't like Mission Impossible 3, a super spy getting in touch with his feelings?! Come on, not realistic for that character! ...I do trust Abrams. I absolutely loved Cloverfield and the Lost series has impressed me on many levels, he gets away with quite alot of creative license especially considering it's network tv he's dealing with.
My hope is that HBO, Showtime, or Sci Fi Channel teams up with Abrams. Has anyone watched the amazing Battlestar Gallatica on Sci Fi? I don't see that show having been made on ABC or NBC. Dark Tower is definitely too much material to faithfully adapt to just 3 or 4 or 5 movies. Not much can be cut due to King's deliberate flow of plotlines, when he puts something in his books it's for a reason, not simply for filler. I agree though, casting is key. Hugh Laurie as Roland? Hmmmm, I wouldn't have thought of it but that does sound intriguing. I've also heard Christain Bale rumored to be Roland, an interesting choice but maybe a bit too young. I don't remember King ever saying exactly how old Roland is for the majority of the books but I got the impression that he was a weathered 40s or 50s at least, like Clint Eastwood in Pale Rider. Maybe just my interpretation as I was reading?
Anyway, this news is crazy exciting!! I don't think I will ever be totally satisfied with any outcome, yep I'm worried about the actor playing Jake getting older too but he manages to age a bit in the books. Nonetheless I'm looking forward to this. Whatever they decide, movies or tv series, they should follow the path that Marvel Comics has with their graphic novel series. It was overseen by King himself and the amazing art design can only add to any screen adaptation.
I just.. wow - If *anyone* can do it, it is JJ. I really did *not* like the Lord of the Rings, and the Potter's bore me (sure, I'll watch them once, but then quickly forget them). I'm ready for an adult oriented, complex, and driving series of films. I don't mind if the plot is followed so much as that JJ captures the characters accurately (as I believe King has plot issues in most of his books, anti-climactic endings, etc, etc, where as his character development is brilliant!). Not to trivialize or compare King's characters, JJ did an amazing job with the characters of Star Trek - so much expectations were met, and exceeded by Trekkers and Trekkies a like..
Anyway, if JJ screws the pooch, we'll know, hands down, that the Dark Tower wasn't meant for film, period.
"I don't READ"..."there's a LOT to be left out"
?????
really, if you have nothing intelligent to offer to these comments, don't bother. This was an amazing 7 book series, beloved by its fans for over 20 years, and to think that something may actually be in the works to present it to the theatre decently is absolutely exciting! Personally, I was pushing for Peter Jackson, but I'm a Lost fan, so JJ would be such an obvious second :)
My best wishes are for the project.
ps. Brad P, you're my hero, lololol
also, Orinn...FIREFLY? REALLY? Ew. Roland Deschain would roll over in his grave at the "end of the path". LMAO
it will take at least 7 movies to do at 2 years apart that 14 years once they get started
I love the idea but I'll be too old or will have died of old age by then
shame it has taken so long I would have loved to seen it come to life
I`m surprised no one has suggested Sean Penn, for the role of Roland. His performance in the dark tower might make His performance in Mystic River, look ''tame''. Taraji P.Henson was born to be Odetta. James McAvoy or Shia LaBouf as Eddie would be cool. The Jonas Brothers have a younger brother, who if you ask Me would be perfect for the role of Jake. And last but not least for the role of the man in black, Randall Flagg one world Pacino.
I`m surprised no one has suggested Sean Penn, for the role of Roland. His performance in the dark tower might make His performance in Mystic River, look ''tame''. Taraji P.Henson was born to be Odetta. James McAvoy or Shia LaBouf as Eddie would be cool. The Jonas Brothers have a younger brother, who if you ask Me would be perfect for the role of Jake. And last but not least for the role of the man in black, Randall Flagg one world Pacino.
Falling in love with the Dark Tower was like a bee flying aimlessly in a grass field and finally finding a rose to rest its wings on. The Dark Tower was the first book I ever bought. I was nine years old. I had a great mother and father who let me buy this type book at such a young age. This was my introduction to Stephen King... How great is that. Over the years I have read the first three books as many as five or six times, I would read them from stem to stern each time. Insomnia comes out and I find that Stephen King is doing a book tour near my home town. I was 14. This meeting took plase at Cornell college. My sister and I went to the college early to see where it would be held at and there he was doing a sound check in the gymnasium asking where he had put his coat. I had spyed a Harley Davidson leather jacket off to the side, when he looked at me, I just pointed to it. He said thanks kid. Leaving the building I nabbed my chance to talk to him......Later that night he came in to read his book Insomnia to the audience and said that this book would be a continuation of the Dark Tower and I'm guessing you know where this goes. Sorry for taking so long to get to my point, I just thought It would be prudent to say so as to the meaning of this thred. Please make this into a movie J.J. It would mean a lot to the people that watch lost and have read these books. Fan is short for Fanatic and we will take it any way you slice it. A short version for theaters and long version for dvd and blu-ray ala Lord of the Rings. This is the correct way to do these movies. No less then three. J.J. I know your just gearing up for this by incorporating "Thinnie's" into your new show FRINGE. Love your work. Thank you to anyone who read this.
... I don't think it's a good idea the Dark Tower series is the best set of books I have ever read, and movies (most of the time) make the books look like crap.
I think JJ is the best man for the job. The complexity of LOST and the visionary aspect of Star Trek make him the perfect fit to make a DT movie/movies/mini series. An HBO mini series would be the best format so they can take their time with the story and get everything in. But I don't think they'll follow the books entirely, nor should they. JJ should be able to make this thing his own and add to or take away from it whatever he feels would make the best story for a movie or whatever. The books stand by themselves anyways, and people should let the movies be able to as well. This is the same take I have on the LOTR movies. No movie can touch the books so let movies be their own entity. All that aside, I'm freakin pumped for whatever they come up with, cause I know it'll be engrossing and visually spectacular.
Anyways, here's my lineup for the actors
Roland- Daniel-Day Lewis (honestly, no one would compare)
Jake- Anyone they want that's a half decent actor
Eddie- Edward Norton or Ryan Reynolds
Susannah- Rosario Dawson
Callahan- Sam Elliot
Flagg- Ralph Fiennes
Tick-Tock Man- Kevin Durand (Keamy from LOST)
Gasher- Andy Serkis (lets be honest the man looks great in terrible makeup)
The Crimson King- Anyone with awesomely creepy hissing voice
And if you read all this, I say thankee-sai and long days and pleasant nights.
All I'm gonna say, for the Man in Black? Christopher Lambert.
Viggo Mortensen for Roland.
The dark tower should be done as a HBO series. Only way to get the entire story on screen.
OMG, just found this, YOU HAVE TO MAKE THESE MOVIES. They could I supposed be condensed a little, maybe to 5 at the minimum given how short the 1st 3 books are. It's not until Wizard and glass when it really gets into the story. The story of Roland of Gilead HAS to be put into film. - but who would play Roland? .. A true gunslinger.... noble and deadly all at once. Is there such a person who could portray such a pivotol character?...... I've just started reading again (from drawing of the three, because I can't find The gunslinger (sad face). When I read them through the first time, it took me 3 weeks after buying the seventh book - (15 years after reading the 1st one) - The Dark Tower, for me to start reading it because it was the beginning of the end. If JJ makes the movies, he better do a good job.
i like the christopher lambert as man in black idea. never would have thought of it. but i was thinking of another christopher for the role... can you say Walken.
and for eddie i like milo ventimiglia i can totly see him strung out on herioine.
to bad we lost heath ledger cuz i woulda picked him for eddie
cameron bright as mordred (ehh not positive on that)
and what is everyone forgetting susan? Jayne Wisener from sweeny todd
still dont know about roland i pitty whoever has to make the decision... because ill be pissed if they do it wrong... someone rugged and scary who can grow emotionaly
oh and im just throwing this out there
stephen king as !!!! himself!
my choosing christopher walken as the man in black is based and his creapyish dry humor can u see it?
i think jj is dragging his heels because he thinks he can't do it, which is fair enough because it a big undertaking, but why buy the rights in the first place, i reckon he could do it well, and is the best one for the job but needs to think seriously on it, this is no lotr
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