Last year was meant to see the beginnings of an exciting and unique new franchise that was to cross over the mediums. Unfortunately though, like many shared universes before it, it tried to run before it could walk and pretty much fell flat on its face.
We are, of course, talking about The Dark Tower, which was the planned first installment in a series of films based on Stephen King’s magnum opus. Due to terrible reviews and lack of box office interest, however, the future looks bleak for the property. On the big screen, at least.
On TV, however, things could tell a different story. Originally, the idea was for the show to be a companion piece to the film series, but it now seems that the television side of things will forge its own path instead and finally, the wheels are in motion. That’s because after wallowing in development hell for years, The Dark Tower has now found a home at Amazon.
If you ask us, the company might have made a very shrewd move in snapping up this project. Sure, it can’t be denied that the pic crashed and burned but, by rights, the narrative should be much better suited to long-term storytelling than it was to a feature film. A common criticism of last summer’s adaptation was that it condensed a complex story so much that it turned it into a bland and generic mess. A TV show, however, would be free to explore things with more care and likely hue a lot closer to the heart of King’s books.
A report from last year claimed that Wizards and Glass, the fourth entry in the novel series, would form the backbone of the TV show. However, that report also stated that Idris Elba had signed on to reprise his role as the Gunslinger – which is something he later admitted he knew nothing about.
Obviously, it’s still very early days for the project, but it’s nice to hear that The Dark Tower has now found a home at Amazon and with any luck, it’ll fare better there than it did in theaters.