Nobody wants to see an adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower succeed, I guess. A couple of years after a failed movie with Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba, the TV series followup has now been rejected by Amazon Studios.
The decision was made by Amazon after viewing the pilot episode, with producers expected to shop the two completed scripts to other outlets. This probably shouldn’t be that big of a surprise. Amazon already has the hugely expensive Lord of the Rings series to focus on, and adding King’s fantasy epic might have been just a bit too much. It’s also possible it just didn’t look very good. Considering all that has happened with The Dark Tower over the years, that’s got to be a consideration.
For a long time while The Dark Tower was being pursued as a feature film franchise, there was also a TV series component that would provide background or flesh out storylines. That was to be the case with the 2017 movie, as well, but the show changed into a complete reboot when the movie tanked. The story of gunslinger Roland Deschain (reportedly to be played by Sam Strike) and his battle with the evil Man in Black (Jasper Pääkkönen) would still be followed, albeit at the beginning of his journey.
With so many platforms out there somebody is going to throw a ton of cash to make The Dark Tower happen, and in a way that will make the most of King’s epic vision. There’s simply too much potential in it becoming the next Game of Thrones-sized hit, and King adaptations are more popular than ever. [Deadline]
