The Dark Tower series filmed adaptation

[ZoNeSeeK]

Doing W&G as a standalone film would kill the franchise, I think, regardless of what DT fans would want. Unless you're willing to pay $200 to see the movie, which I wouldnt.

Like in harry potter, you find out more about Harry's parents and their friends and what happened as the series progresses, and it works very well. If the screenplay for DT was done just right, the audience could be tracking Roland's past and being fed more information about how everything came to be as the katet is getting closer to the tower. Breaking the momentum between Blaine and the Calla would be suicide.

So you're saying that having a two hour XXX segment with Roland and Susan doing every position in the Kama Sutra and some they invented, would not be a good move for the franchise??

Are the pages of your DT4 stuck together?

[Frunobulax]

I think AllHail needs an arc welder to undo those pages, Zone.

[Mattrick]

Movie One should cover The Gunslinger and up until the final door on the beach. I don't think the Gunslinger has enough to carry a whole movie. I know many people get hooked after book 2 anyways.

Movie Two could cover all the Wastelands. I think there are enough actiony scenes and parts that could be longer in this movie. The last hour could all be set in Lud. End it as they get on Blaine.

Movie Three could cover Blaine, the road through Kansas, the backstory (have the backstory told in segments through this movie) and end it after they meet Callahan and Co while camping by Calla Brynn Sturgis.

Movie Four could cover all of Wolves of the Calla up until they're sucked through the unfound door.

Movie Five would cover Song of Susannah and the first hundred pages or so of Book Seven (after Mordred escapes).

Movie Six could cover the rest of book Seven.

I think doing it any less than this would be rushed. The movies cannot be done book by book so it would have to be mixed. I think board Blaine, metting Flagg, Going through the Unfound door and Mordreds birth are all good hanging points.

[fernandito]

I can already imagine myself sitting in the theatre watching that fugly little bastard come out of the womb.

[Frunobulax]

All California junkies have to have a mass viewing when this movie comes out, whaddaya say fp?

And I think 6 movies might be overkill for the basic movie person. Star Wars doesn't count.

[Darkthoughts]

I dunno...I quite liked Mattrick's plan...but in the long run for me, it'll depend on the casting as to whether or not I watch it.

[Daghain]

Oh, I'll watch it...I just hope I like it.

[fernandito]

All California junkies have to have a mass viewing when this movie comes out, whaddaya say fp?

I think thats a bloody brilliant idea Frun..can I invite MJ? Midnight showing ahoy!

[Frunobulax]

Feel free, fp! I can snag Chasing Dragons easy.

[Mattrick]

I dunno...I quite liked Mattrick's plan...but in the long run for me, it'll depend on the casting as to whether or not I watch it.

I'm hoping that Abrahms doesn't do it. So I can get the rights to do a script and do it up (dream). What's important in a medium transfer is finding what is quintessential and what is disposable. Also, I'd throw in a lot of subtle hints (imagine seeing Jake and Roland walk away from the way station and in the background, very faint is the figure of Father Callahan). The Gunslinger could be wrapped up in 45-50 mins. There are about ten key points that have to be transferred for story purposes; Brown and telling of Tull, David/Cort, Way Station, The Oracle, Slow Mutants, Decision on Jake and Conversation with Walter.

Directing/writing this would be a dream come true for me. The Dark Tower was what made me want to write/direct in the first place.

My problem with Abrahms is his ability to direct. Dark Tower is different than what else he's done. I think it needs to be done very artisticly. Nice shots, nice use of colour and setting of the mood. King did such a good job of making the environments flushed out without going overboard. I haven't seen Lost but a television show is much different than a series. It deserves to be done perfect. Too many of kings works are slaughtered, mis-interpretted and just plain horrible. I see The Dark Tower as being very dramatic, I just hope Abrahms can convey that emotion onto film.

[Darkthoughts]

Whoa!!! You haven't seen Lost?!!!

Mattrick - you HAVE to check it out! I get the feeling it'd be just your thing.

However, to me Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindeloff are the real brains behind Lost - If Abrams has them on board for DT too (and they too are MAJOR King fans - they met and interviewed him not long back) then it can only improve the outcome.

[Mattrick]

When I first seen ads when it started I thought it was just some lame, cast-away rip off about people being lost on an Island. Didn't find out other wise until the end of the second season and I can't just jump in. Don't know anyone who has the DVD's either.

[Darkthoughts]

Lots of Lost forums will give you links where you can download it. Its addictive though, so be prepared to put in some dedicated viewing

[Mattrick]

Lots of Lost forums will give you links where you can download it. Its addictive though, so be prepared to put in some dedicated viewing

I watched Seasons 1/2 of 24 (48 episodes) in a month before season three as I'd never seen the show. Also watched the last season of Six Feet Under (approx 12 hours) mostly all in a day.

[ZoNeSeeK]

For DT to appear on the big screen with a big budget and for it to be successful, the movie (hopefully the first of a few) not only needs to appeal to the wider audience but needs to appeal to actors to take on the script aswell. This wont be an automatic franchise, unless they decide to go with a smaller straight to dvd production, or a tv series. But even then - look what happened to Carnivale, remember? Even though King declares that he "doesnt give a shit what people have done with his movies in the past", the reputation of previous films based on his books will affect the reception of DT, and I think the reputation is mixed - theres a handful of gold and a handful of shit

Remember, when Peter Jackson took The Lord of the Rings (which already had universal recognition for a hundred years) to the big studios, they wanted to do it in one movie only. The success of LOTR with Newline definitely gives a big boost for the genre, and the Harry Potter juggernaut was strong enough to make that franchise massively successful. The movie world seems to be made up of sequel franchises at the moment, so that would help to an extent.

The big edge DT has over LOTR is that its not all high fantasy, which markets have historically had a hard time swallowing. The edgy futuristic side (with loads of old time guns) will make for some pretty attractive teasers I think. If its done right, it will be a success, and for it to be done right, it needs to be very visual. DT will fail if all the heart is poured into the characters and story solely as, whether we like it or not, the major major majority of the people who pay for movie tickets dont know Roland and his katet so cant care about them. Everyone knew who Frodo was.

The first movie is what will make this or kill it - theres no point in advertising it as the first dark tower movie when 99% of the world dont even have a clue what the dark tower even is. The release of the comic will definitely help this but in the meantime what they need is a popular cartoon series or an incredibly cool viral campaign over the net in the years to come before productions starts.

[Darkthoughts]

Good point Zone! Abrams et al have already stirred up some DT interest with Lost, as from the very start of their series they proclaimed themselves hardcore King and DT fans, which led Lost theorists to get into DT looking for potential plot clues.

Theres a fair bit of DT talk on most Lost sites I've been to.

[ZoNeSeeK]

If the island ends up being some sort of "level of the nexus of space and time" i will personally smack abrams in the face

[Darkthoughts]

I have a feeling you may need to get yo badself on a plane to Hawaii sometime soon...

[Wuducynn]

If the island ends up being some sort of "level of the nexus of space and time" i will personally smack abrams in the face

You sure do like to "smack" a lot. I find a bullet to the face to be much more effective in getting across my point.

[Darkthoughts]

You don't do subtlety do you dear...

[ZoNeSeeK]

a smack is far more humiliating, even compared with half your face hanging off with bits of bone and cartilege stuck in your hair.*













* Plus it can turn some people on, which may lead to sexy results.

[Mattrick]

Smack is more addictive when you smoke it. Or is that Coke? I don't know, I'm a Pepsi fan myself. Well, just like Roy Rogers.

[ZoNeSeeK]

Smack gives me the jibber-jabbers

[Matt]

I gives me the jimmy legs

[ZoNeSeeK]

heebie jeebies?