Dark Tower Series Needs Movie, TV Series

Any fan of Steven King will tell you without a doubt that the books are always better than the movies.  That is a 100% bona fide statement that even I stand behind.  That doesn’t mean however that you can’t make a good movie out of a Steven King book – which is why I am glad they are taking the Dark Tower Series project seriously – wanting to do it right.

Steven King will even tell you subtly that he approves of a movie adaptation of his books.  In the films that he is involved in and approves of, he will make a cameo appearance.  His most recent cameo appearance was in the television mini-series Under the Dome.  He appeared in one of the diner scenes being served a cup of coffee as a resident of Chester’s Mill.

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For now, Roland lives in the print world, spending time managing his life in both the Dark Tower Series, the seven novel book adaptation as well as the graphic comics.  This is a character that is begging to be adapted for a live action movie.

The comic books are not exact replica’s of the books, but are further adaptations of the life and times of Roland Deschain’s ascent from a long line of diplomats and gun-slinging peacekeepers to the rank of gunslinger himself.

If the recent rash of comic book based super hero movies tells us anything, a movie adaptation of the Dark Tower series does not have to follow along the lines of the books or comics anyway.

If you are looking for the Dark Tower series to be just that, a close accurate (as accurate as a screenplay can be) of the Dark Tower Series, your not going to like the finished product, if one ever comes available.

The depth of Steven King’s world, the interloping characters and storylines needs to be embellished to the fullest to truly bring the creations of Steven King’s mind to life.

The simple presence of Randall Flagg incarnate in a character that forces Roland into manhood early is exactly the type of depth and crossover that will make any Dark Tower movie or mini-series a smash hit among Steven King fans – and people just waiting to be hooked.

Best Approach To Dark Tower Series

For the franchise to reach an even higher level of success, the series needs to be escalated, and cannot be brought to life in one medium.  A television series doesn’t capitalize on the financial gain of a big screen release; and limiting it to the silver screen leaves to much on the table.

We need a silver screen starter, a Hollywood birth place to bring us to the visual realm of Roland, to set the stage for follow on projects.

Use the first feature film as an event to launch the franchise, to rapidly bring about the world of Steven King into a sense of reality outside of the imagination of readers.  From their, you have the catalyst for the television mini-series.

But why stop there?  Bring it back to the silver screen when you reach such an impasse in the storyline, that only a feature film could handle.

It isn’t unheard of for Hollywood to start a franchise.  Most recently the life of those involved with Michael and the battle of angels and humans continues from the world of Legion to the television series Dominion.

Give us what we want Ron Howard, and bring Roland to real life.