The Dark Tower series filmed adaptation

[Merlin1958]

Walter Goggins for Roland!!!!

I think he would make a much better Eddie.

I still think Anson Mount from Hell on Wheels would make a great Roland.

I don't seem to see the "Eddie" angle, but he is a great actor, IMHO

[fernandito]

Walter Goggins for Roland!!!!

I think he would make a much better Eddie.

I still think Anson Mount from Hell on Wheels would make a great Roland.

Oh hell yeah. I can dig it. Perfect height too.

[Rahfa]

It might seem a strange criticism, but Mount seems too much like a TV actor to me - even in that picture, I feel like he lacks gravitas.

He looks the part, though.

[Jon]

I understand what you are saying, but "new and hip" is not always a great alternative. Sometimes, the "original" must establish a baseline.

Interesting to hear from such a hip youngster as yourself.

[fernandito]

It might seem a strange criticism, but Mount seems too much like a TV actor to me - even in that picture, I feel like he lacks gravitas.

Great observation. Yes, I too thought there was something 'off' about him, but I couldn't find a way to articulate it.

[Lookwhoitis]

It might seem a strange criticism, but Mount seems too much like a TV actor to me - even in that picture, I feel like he lacks gravitas.

He looks the part, though.

I have watched the whole run of Hell on Wheels and have seen him grow as an actor over the course of that series. I think the suits might be ok with the idea of a lesser known actor as Roland as it wouldnt cost as much. If you get McConnehey in the film are they really wise to spend another Large chunk of change to get an A-Lister for Roland? At some point spending bookoo dollars on talent will take away from the buget of what is needed in the film for a successful adaptation. Hell on Wheels ends soon, too (last half season to be broadcast summer 2016), so Anson Mount will probably be available.

[Lookwhoitis]

I'm just hoping that Nikolaj Arcel gets the hook...

The Dark Tower languishes in Development Hell

[CyberGhostface]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/01/...the-dark-tower

"I think Idris Elba is the greatest possible idea for casting for Roland, and I'm unbelievably proud of it as a collaborator on this enterprise and because I think that he's a great actor and I couldn't be more thrilled that he is likely to play a part," Goldsman said. "I understand that people who are thoughtful about the storytelling and the racial politics of the storytelling might want to understand how that informs that storytelling, and I respect that and I hear that, and those things are not things we didn't think about or don't think about. The racist a--holes should go f--k themselves."

[Girlystevedave]

I'm not sure how I feel about Idris Elba playing Roland, but I can see how choosing him could possibly bring in a more mixed audience, which could fuel the success of the films.

[Rahfa]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/01/...the-dark-tower

"I think Idris Elba is the greatest possible idea for casting for Roland, and I'm unbelievably proud of it as a collaborator on this enterprise and because I think that he's a great actor and I couldn't be more thrilled that he is likely to play a part," Goldsman said. "I understand that people who are thoughtful about the storytelling and the racial politics of the storytelling might want to understand how that informs that storytelling, and I respect that and I hear that, and those things are not things we didn't think about or don't think about. The racist a--holes should go f--k themselves."

Okay...well...I've made my position on this very clear - and I think Elba is 100 percent an acceptable choice....but "the greatest possible idea for casting?" That seems a little strong...

On the other hand - whenever a movie makes a choice, the producers are never going to be like "well, three other guys couldn't make it work - so NOW he's the greatest choice..." So they have to say what they say.

[Rahfa]

It might seem a strange criticism, but Mount seems too much like a TV actor to me - even in that picture, I feel like he lacks gravitas.

He looks the part, though.

I have watched the whole run of Hell on Wheels and have seen him grow as an actor over the course of that series. I think the suits might be ok with the idea of a lesser known actor as Roland as it wouldnt cost as much. If you get McConnehey in the film are they really wise to spend another Large chunk of change to get an A-Lister for Roland? At some point spending bookoo dollars on talent will take away from the buget of what is needed in the film for a successful adaptation. Hell on Wheels ends soon, too (last half season to be broadcast summer 2016), so Anson Mount will probably be available.

Well - considering the weight they intend for this (movies, TV, etc) they NEED starpower in this role, and yeah, that means spending money..this isn't "let's see what happens." It's "We need a splash right NOW." Cuz if they commit to the first movie and it flops, it screws their plans for years.

I haven't watched the show, and I'm only forming an opinion based on that picture - so I'm not really pro or con Mount...he looks the part fine.

[Lookwhoitis]

It might seem a strange criticism, but Mount seems too much like a TV actor to me - even in that picture, I feel like he lacks gravitas.

He looks the part, though.

I have watched the whole run of Hell on Wheels and have seen him grow as an actor over the course of that series. I think the suits might be ok with the idea of a lesser known actor as Roland as it wouldnt cost as much. If you get McConnehey in the film are they really wise to spend another Large chunk of change to get an A-Lister for Roland? At some point spending bookoo dollars on talent will take away from the buget of what is needed in the film for a successful adaptation. Hell on Wheels ends soon, too (last half season to be broadcast summer 2016), so Anson Mount will probably be available.

Well - considering the weight they intend for this (movies, TV, etc) they NEED starpower in this role, and yeah, that means spending money..this isn't "let's see what happens." It's "We need a splash right NOW." Cuz if they commit to the first movie and it flops, it screws their plans for years.

I haven't watched the show, and I'm only forming an opinion based on that picture - so I'm not really pro or con Mount...he looks the part fine.

The problem is, that the beancounters do not think this film will make money. That is why it hasnt happened yet. When comcast bought Universal Pictures, they immediately shitcanned my two most favorite adaptations in the works. Ron Howard helmed Dark Tower adaptation and Del Toro's planned At the Mountains of Madness adaptation. The reason? Genre or Horror films dont make money. In fact it was impossible to get almost anything Genre greenlit until Jackson turned the rule on its ear with his LOTR adaptation.

The Dark Tower faithful are rabid fans, but that is not enough for the suits/powers that be to put up that big a budget. They want to see LOTR Money. Disney Money.

All I want is a faithful adaptation. A la Game of Thrones.

I dont really want to see Elba as Roland, Arcel as the Director, or a "Hollywoodized" Dark Tower. I want them to be true to the books.

But of course, we dont always get what we want...

I like Elba, though. I think he is a fine actor. Looking forward to watching Beasts of No Nation

[Rahfa]

Right - all casting issues aside, I feel sort of the same.

They want Disney/LotR money for a series that is not comparable to any of these recent franchises...it's not kid-friendly, it's not special-effect-crazy-battle friendly, it's not nearly as iconic as LotR (I'm sorry, but let's not even try to argue that - people were getting stoned to Hobbit 50 years ago - I could ask 50 teenagers about Dark Tower, and 40 of them would have no idea what I was talking about), it doesn't have a hero that's especially relatable, and so on. It doesn't even have a great payoff. Great series to read? Of course - but as a franchise in the Hollywood style? I don't see it.

We're all in agreement that a Game of Thrones-style series would have worked best...the problem, of course, is that Game of Thrones got their first.

[CyberGhostface]

Well that's one of my issues... whoever makes DT should realize this isn't going to be some huge franchise.

The first book is a rather dry, humorless book with an unlikeable lead protagonist who forcibly performs an abortion on someone and shoots down an entire town. Even when King tried to make it more accessible it'll still turn a lot of people off.

Second book is very much a gritty thriller which then segues into a more 'traditional' fantasy story with talking trains, giant robot bears and cute animals with the third book.

And then the fourth book is 90% a flashback and is mainly a Western-style romance.

I really can't think of any other major series that changes that much. Maybe Harry Potter but that was a case of gradually changing to mature with the audience as they grew older. 'Game of Thrones', I think if you can get into the whole medieval aspect and follow who the different characters, is considerably more audience-friendly IMO which is why it lends itself as well as it does to a tv show.

I've said Netflix is probably the best option mainly because for newcomers I think binge-watching a season all at once of the first two books would be the best shot at getting them hooked. I don't think an individual movie or weekly installments based off 'The Gunslinger' is going to draw a huge crowd.

[Johnny Alien]

At the same time, GOT was an extremely long in-depth tale of 4 families fighting for a throne that largely appealed to sci-fi and fantasy nerds. It has incest, torture, rape, etc. Pretty much no one is likable in the story. It became one of the most popular shows on HBO. Most people didn't know about those books prior to the show.

[fernandito]

We're all going to have to come to terms with the fact that the structure of the narrative will in all likelihood be dramatically altered to fit the frame of a movie series.

At the same time GOT was a extremely long in depth tale of 4 families fighting for a throne that largely appealed to sci-fi and fantasy nerds. Had incest, torture, rape, etc. Pretty much no one if likable in the story. It became one of the most popular shows on HBO. Most people didn't know about those books prior to the show.

Correct.

[CyberGhostface]

At the same time, GOT was an extremely long in-depth tale of 4 families fighting for a throne that largely appealed to sci-fi and fantasy nerds. It has incest, torture, rape, etc. Pretty much no one is likable in the story. It became one of the most popular shows on HBO. Most people didn't know about those books prior to the show.

I think most of the characters are likable aside from a few people like Tywin and Cersei. Even characters that are pretty despicable (Theon, for example) can be sympathetic.

The books were still pretty popular even before the show came out, the fourth one debuted at #1 on the NYT Bestseller list.

[Johnny Alien]

I think most of the characters are likable aside from a few people like Tywin and Cersei. Even characters that are pretty despicable (Theon, for example) can be sympathetic.

The books were still pretty popular even before the show came out, the fourth one debuted at #1 on the NYT Bestseller list.

Almost every character minus the young Starks and Jon Snow are fairly horrible people. People might like to root for them but that doesn't necessarily make them likable people. I didn't know more than 2-3 people that were actively following the books series before the show started up and like Dark Tower readers they were rabid about it. Both Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower were #1 on the New York Times best seller list. I would say that as far as niche fandom the two series were pretty much on par with each other and the GOT series on HBO has been a massive hit. There is no reason to believe that if done correctly the DT series couldn't do the same.

[Rahfa]

Well, Stephen King could publish his grocery list and it would be #1.

I wonder sometimes if this is a series people read, or people just talk about reading it.

But you are right - there is no reason this could not be a great series. In fact, Thrones proves the point - and is why I wish DT was being developed for HBO too. Although - GoT does have the lurid romance aspect and prettyboy casting, so it appeals to a female audience too - while the men have the blood and battles and boobies.

DT frankly lacks all of that - what we've got is a platonic relationship between a criminal and a wheelchair-bound lady who goes full on ghetto, a child who gets LEFT TO DIE by the main character (who can't even kill a slowmoving crab before it eats his hand)...and a villain that gets eaten by a big spider, and another villain who yells "yeeeeee" at the pivotal moment. THAT's his big war cry.

It ain't GoT...haha...

(according to Wikipedia, the GOT series has sold 60 million copies vs. 30 million for DT. Both are blockbusters, but no question that GOT is more popular right now.)

[Br!an]

Most of the book sales came after the TV show.

[CyberGhostface]

Almost every character minus the young Starks and Jon Snow are fairly horrible people. People might like to root for them but that doesn't necessarily make them likable people.

If you're rooting for them you probably found them likable. I would say most of the POV characters in the first three books are likable. Tyrion and Jaime are both likable characters despite being fairly morally gray as is Sandor Clegane.

I didn't know more than 2-3 people that were actively following the books series before the show started up and like Dark Tower readers they were rabid about it. Both Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower were #1 on the New York Times best seller list. I would say that as far as niche fandom the two series were pretty much on par with each other and the GOT series on HBO has been a massive hit. There is no reason to believe that if done correctly the DT series couldn't do the same.

DT was niche in spite of being written by one of the, if not the, most famous authors of all time. I remember a review for 'Everything's Eventual' went on the DT story "Fun for the fans, skippable for the rest of us".

I'm not saying DT couldn't be a hit, it's just a harder sell. King himself has recommended that newcomers skip the first books because it's a tough read and the first movie is going to be largely based off it if the reports are true.

Most of the book sales came after the TV show.

The books were definitely more successful afterwards but they were still plenty successful prior as far as fantasy series go. Even before the show came out they were selling figurines, calendars and other assorted merchandise based off the series.

[webstar1000]

Most of the book sales came after the TV show.

100%

[CyberGhostface]

The second and third books were bestsellers and the fourth book was the #1 bestseller. This was all before the show came along. The show helped a lot but they were still successes before then.

[Merlin1958]

Films will generally spark book sales, no?

[webstar1000]

No question they will. If these Films are well done and successful there will be a real surge in fans and probably people on this site too....