The Dark Tower Might Become One Russell Crowe Movie…Or Several Movies And TV Episodes

Bleedingcool.com ^ | May 16, 2013 | Brendon Connelly

[OddLane]

Ron Howard and Brian Grazer‘s original plan for adapting Stephen King‘s The Dark Tower series was to do it as a series of movies bridged by a few seasons of TV. It always struck me as ambitious to the point of arrogance, while also rich in potential and, actually, quite exciting. But I wasn’t surprised when both Universal and Warner Bros. turned them down.

Since then, they managed to lock a deal with MRC to produce a single film, with the possibility of more if it turns out to be a hit. That’s the way these things usually go, of course. In that deal, Russell Crowe has been attached to star as The Gunslinger, Roland Deschain.

But according to Grazer, speaking to Deadline, there is another option. A new plan that’s much the same as the original plan.

[OddLane]

That's the funny part.

I think it has a lot to do with the fact that he was writing it as a teenager/college student and hadn't really found his voice yet.

One of the great things about starting to read the LOTR books is seeing how much King borrowed from Tolkien's universe, even beyond the obvious connections, e.g. doorways that need to be mentally conceived into existence, the dark tower, etc...