The reviews are coming out fast and brutal on the film adaptation to Stephen King’s ‘The Dark Tower’, but Sony still has big plans for the franchise that include more films and a TV series. While it’s possible those plans could change if the box office for the film is in line with the current Rotten Tomatoes score of 21%.
If they do move forward with the TV series, THR is reporting that it will be with The Walking Dead’s Glen Mazzara in the slot of showrunner. This could actually be a good thing. Mazzara not only has experience coming into a franchise at a time of unrest and steadying the ship, but he is also a massive Stephen king fan that actually cares about the stories.
Here’s Mazzara’s statement:
“I’ve been a Stephen King fan for decades and the opportunity to adapt The Dark Tower as a TV series is a great honor. The events of The Gunslinger, Wizard & Glass, The Wind Through the Keyhole, and other tales need a long format to capture the complexity of Roland’s coming of age — how he became the Gunslinger, how Walter became the Man in Black, and how their rivalry cost Roland everything and everyone he ever loved. I could not be more excited to tell this story. It feels like being given the key to a treasure chest. And oh yeah, we’ll have billy-bumblers!”
It’s great to see him so excited about bringing the stories to life, but there’s a solid 50/50 chance that this project is going to quietly go away unless the box office for the new film is better than feared.