Dark Tower movie?

[Gzette]

there is an entry for it on IMDB, but it was asking me to sign up for a premium account.

Has anyone heard anything about this?

JJ Abrams on board I heard.

[Canelek]

Abrams had optioned the series for $19. AFAIK, that is the last news. I am hoping it will be made as a HBO series or other non-network show. I mean, theatrical would be better, but I doubt they could squeeze all of that in even 3 movies...maybe a Harry Potter route?

Either way, I hope this gets green lit!

[Truant]

I still say an animated movie is the best option.

[Kaldaur]

Oh God, please. The only way they can do it is to get someone decent to play Roland. If it's one of King's usual actors, I'd say no. He has to reach out of his usual bag of actors and find someone totally new.

[Hesten]

Oh God, please. The only way they can do it is to get someone decent to play Roland. If it's one of King's usual actors, I'd say no. He has to reach out of his usual bag of actors and find someone totally new.

You mean no Rob Love to play Eddie? .

[Canelek]

Rob Lowe would make an awesome Eddie. He really tore up the Nick Andros role in The Stand.

[Hesten]

Rob Lowe would make an awesome Eddie. He really tore up the Nick Andros role in The Stand.

I think he's probably too old to play it convincingly by now.

[Kaldaur]

Yeah, Lowe is in his 40s by now. And unfortunately, I just can't see Gary Senise as Roland, even though I love Gary Senise.

[Funkmasterr]

IMO, the only way this would be worth it, would be 7 movies (1 for each book) on the scale of the Lord of the Rings, and I just don't think that's a possibility, so to be honest I'd rather not see it happen at all.

I would settle for someone finally making a good film out of the Talisman, and then maybe after that Black House.

When it comes to any of these though, I think anything made for tv where things would get edited out would be worthless, a half assed low to mid budget movie would be worthless, and to be honest, something animated would have to be extremely good for me to consider it.

[Kaldaur]

The Stand was a, what, five part miniseries? And they still left so much out. Stephen King's books, the larger ones and the multi-editions, just do not translate well to either the big or little screens. This is coming from the guy that has read the Stand at least four times.
You're right, Row Lowe played a great Nick Andros.

[Funkmasterr]

The Stand was a, what, five part miniseries? And they still left so much out. Stephen King's books, the larger ones and the multi-editions, just do not translate well to either the big or little screens. This is coming from the guy that has read the Stand at least four times.
You're right, Row Lowe played a great Nick Andros.

Yeah, I pretty much agree. I'm currently reading the dark tower again (on Song of Susannah currently) for about the 7th or 8th time through, and I really don't know that it would be feasible to make them into film.

[Canelek]

Black House would fucking own. I need to read that again.

As far as the Talisman, the TNT series should be out very soon. It was supposed be aired last May, but the writer's strike fuckered it up.

My ideal Dark Tower would be HBO - 1 season/book. Of course, the fundamental issue here would be ratings vs. production cost, which ultimately dooms the projects. (re: Carnivale, Deadwood)

I just think HBO would be the only way to pull it off correctly. Fuck network TV!

Oh, and it may be a bit difficult having one of the regular cast playing a legless woman. ><

[Hesten]

Black House would fucking own. I need to read that again.

As far as the Talisman, the TNT series should be out very soon. It was supposed be aired last May, but the writer's strike fuckered it up.

My ideal Dark Tower would be HBO - 1 season/book. Of course, the fundamental issue here would be ratings vs. production cost, which ultimately dooms the projects. (re: Carnivale, Deadwood)

I just think HBO would be the only way to pull it off correctly. Fuck network TV!

Oh, and it may be a bit difficult having one of the regular cast playing a legless woman. ><

Nah, only a question of inept casting people if they cant find a young, pretty, legless black actress.

[Funkmasterr]

Black House would fucking own. I need to read that again.

As far as the Talisman, the TNT series should be out very soon. It was supposed be aired last May, but the writer's strike fuckered it up.

My ideal Dark Tower would be HBO - 1 season/book. Of course, the fundamental issue here would be ratings vs. production cost, which ultimately dooms the projects. (re: Carnivale, Deadwood)

I just think HBO would be the only way to pull it off correctly. Fuck network TV!

Oh, and it may be a bit difficult having one of the regular cast playing a legless woman. ><

Nah, only a question of inept casting people if they cant find a young, pretty, legless black actress.

I would also like to add that I picture Courtney Love as Mia. hahaha.

[Hesten]

Just a quick info from todays email:

Reports of a Dark Tower TV series and movies have been in the news recently. Ron Howard, Akiva Goldsman, Brian Grazer and Imagine Films are in discussions with Steve regarding the adaptation of the series. Here's the word from Stephen:

"It looks good. Things are happening and they are happening fast but any reports you see might be taken with a grain of salt for the next couple of weeks. You will know the news from the official source as soon as we are able to post it."

Steve

[Funkmasterr]

Fuckin sweet!

[Canelek]

Wouldn't JJ Abrams have to be involved since Steve optioned the rights to film for $19?

Either way, it is nice to see some play.

THIS SERIES WILL REQUIRE MONIES!

[Hesten]

Wouldn't JJ Abrams have to be involved since Steve optioned the rights to film for $19?

Either way, it is nice to see some play.

THIS SERIES WILL REQUIRE MONIES!

To be fair, good series = crapping monies....Stephen King = fanbase crapping throwing monies at you....the comics = more fanbase throwing monies at you....

[Canelek]

As long as it does not land on network TV!

Oh, and WTF happened to The Talisman? Movie, then series on TNT, then movie, etc etc..

[Canelek]

And introducing Roland:



Think he may need to go on the water/olives diet.

Mark your calendars for May 17th, 2013 for the first film! Damn, that is a long way off, but not so bad in DT-book-writing-pace terms (at least until 'Wolves).

http://www.stephenking.com/promo/dark_t ... s_tracker/

[Bubba Grizz]

.LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - "The Dark Tower" sleeps with fishes.

Universal's ambitious adaptation of Stephen King's fantasy series has been canceled, TheWrap has confirmed.

The first film was slated to begin production this summer, but shooting was delayed last spring with the studio announcing that it needed to make the project more cost-effective.

That temporary delay became permanent this week, and now deprives Universal of a film series that it had hoped to make a linchpin for its film slate for years to come.

The studio declined to comment.

All told, the project was supposed to involve three movies and a television series.

The scope of the production and King's bona fides attracted big talent. Ron Howard was expected to direct and produce the first movie; Akiva Goldsman was lined up to produce and write and Brian Grazer was also on board as a producer. Javier Bardem was supposed to star.

Yet after being announced with great fanfare last fall, "The Dark Tower" ran up against a very different corporate culture after Comcast took over the studio in January.

More than ex-corporate parent G.E., Comcast leans toward the frugal, and the very expensive "Dark Tower" clearly left the people who control the purse strings uncomfortable.

Following Comcast's acquisition, Universal has shown a willingness to make cuts. In March, the studio scrapped plans to make Guillermo del Toro's $150 million adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's "Mountains of Madness." Gone it seems, are the days when risky adult dramas such as "Public Enemies" could get $100 million budgets because of the caliber of the talent involved.

But in cutting "The Dark Tower" from its schedule, Universal does run the risk of alienating one of its most loyal and profitable partners, Imagine Entertainment. Howard and Grazer's production company has earned millions of dollars in profits for the studio with hits such as "American Gangster" and "A Beautiful Mind."

On Monday, Universal apparently decided that the risk was so great that "The Dark Tower" wouldn't join that list.
.

[Siji]

Yay, now they can concentrate on another Fast & Furious movie, another Fockers movie, another Death Race movie and all sorts of other guaranteed cinematic blockbusters.

[Funkmasterr]

mother.fucking.fuckers.

[Canelek]

Maybe JJ will rekindle an interest... So does Universal still own the rights? Wonder if they will cockblock someone wanting to take up the project.... fuckwads

[Canelek]

Ohhhhh????? Hope this is true!!

Brian Grazer: Stephen King’s DARK TOWER Headed To HBO!!

Published at: Oct 25, 2011 3:17:29 PM CDT

I am – Hercules!!

Brian Grazer, promoting “Tower Heist,” just told MTV that while he can’t say at which studio the big-screen components of Ron Howard’s adaptation of “The Dark Tower” might end up, he now believes he knows where the TV component will air.

“We’ll do the TV with HBO and the movie with --- to be determined,” Grazer said.

This is the best possible news for the project.

Under the aborted NBC-Universal deal, the big-screen stuff could be more graphic. But HBO can get away with violence, gore, nudity and sexual situations cinemas typically cannot accommodate.

Grazer also said Javier Bardem is still likely to star as central character Roland Deschain.

The idea has long been to shoot three big-screen features with a pair of TV miniseries in between.

It's unknown whether HBO's sister company Warner Bros. will be interested in making the feature trilogy

Deadline Hollywood sources indicate no deals are in place.

Find Deadline’s story on the matter here.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/51727

[Funkmasterr]

Sexy!

[Kluden]

HBO is being super aggressive on these IP's lately...wonder if they are just lacking backlog, or if the recession is helping them bid out this work and getting better for less?

I've never read these books, but always see how much you all and others love them. I would assuming that HBO and Ron Howard are capable of giving you all what you want, and those of us who haven't read the books an interesting visual story...at least I hope.

[Canelek]

Too bad Ron Howard sucks!

That said, I think HBO is the way to go, but they should bail movies and just go straight-HBO sans-Opie.

[Funkmasterr]

As long as they don't completely butcher it, I don't really mind what format they do it in.

[Zygar_ Cthulhukin]

It's baaaaaaaaaaack

http://gammasquad.uproxx.com/2012/03/wa ... ier-bardem