The Dark Tower

[Dom D Spoon! Find all posts View Profile Close Dom D]

http://screenrant.com/dark-tower-filming-begins/

I just worked my way through The Gunslinger yesterday. Surprisingly short and oddly metaphysical stuff for King. I'm told the rest of the series runs for some 4,500 poages so I'll probably call it quits with the series while I still feel ahead of the game but I enjoyed it for what it was. I was surprised, however, by how blatantly he lifted from El Topo. So many elements of that film were mashed into the book I'm stunned Jodorowsky hasn't sued King silly.

Anyway the film adaptation is cast and shooting and I'm curious to see it. Thing is I can't see a 2017 adaptation of this material working. It really needs to be art house as fuck, be naratively murky and have 5 minute long unbroken takes of The Gunslinger walking through the desert. The kind of stuff you could really only get away with in the 70s when a director could be as obscure as he wanted to be and release a seriously pretentious film secure in the knowledge that the audiences would still turn out as long as he showed some tits. That guarantee is no longer there for any of us... I read the book conscious that there was a film in production and so was puzzling through how it would be approached. I saw a lot of difficulties that I couldn't see a way past for a mainstream blockbuster. Which given the names that have been attached to it (JJ Abrams, Akiva Goldsmith etc) is what I assume the film will be.

Actually I'd have more hope for this if it was being shot for TV. TV has a patience these days that's sorely lacking in film. The likes of Karnivale, Fargo, True Detective etc show TV audiences don't necessarily need answers to every question. The Gunslinger certainly poses a lot more questions than it's ready to give answers to.

If nothing else hopefully the film brings The Gunslinger to Jodorowsky's attention and he can finally get the lawsuits flying.

[Mark Tolch Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark Tolch]

I could never get into the series. A lot of friends definitely could, though, so I know I'm the odd man out. A lot of talk of how bringing it to the screen as planned will butcher the material, as well.

[Andrew Monroe Pallid Hands Find all posts View Profile Close Andrew Monroe]

I could never get into the series. A lot of friends definitely could, though, so I know I'm the odd man out. A lot of talk of how bringing it to the screen as planned will butcher the material, as well.

I'm the same. Really weird because I'm ordinarily an avid reader of King's stuff and I know you are too. I read the first 2 books I believe and gave up there. Just couldn't get involved at all. While I do know some folks who love this series, there's more (regular King readers) than you might think who don't.

[Mark Tolch Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark Tolch]

I'm the same. Really weird because I'm ordinarily an avid reader of King's stuff and I know you are too. I read the first 2 books I believe and gave up there. Just couldn't get involved at all. While I do know some folks who love this series, there's more (regular King readers) than you might think who don't.

We should start a club! And yes, I've read the majority of King's other works, and enjoyed the majority of those. :D

[Randy G Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Randy G]

I loved the first book for how stark, mythic and weird it was. Very un-King like. I like King's other books, some a lot, but this was refreshing because it was so different.

Read the next two books but they blur together in my memory now. They become more conventionally written and feel more King-like in that rambling and jamming in everything including the kitchen sink way. So I agree that the first book would be the kind of thing best made by an art-house madman in the 70s but the later books are different beasts.

I lost interest near the end of the third book. Just felt too much like the worst of that 90s period of King's with books like Tommyknockers, etc where his juice seemed to be running low.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

[Alex K. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Alex K.]

I've read a lot of complaints about how this movie is just your typical Hollywood blockbuster using Dark Tower characters.

[agent999 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close agent999]

I've read a lot of complaints about how this movie is just your typical Hollywood blockbuster using Dark Tower characters.

I might enjoy it then, I gave up after the fourth book as I thought they were getting too annoying and I had better things to do with my time.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Press release for the BD/UHD release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“It delivers Idris Elba as an action hero” ~ Scott Mendelson, FORBES

Based on the Best-Selling Book Series by Stephen King

THE DARK TOWER

Starring Idris Elba and Academy Award® Winner Matthew McConaughey

Debuting on Digital October 17 On 4K Ultra HDâ„¢/Blu-rayâ„¢, Blu-ray & DVD October 31

Blu-ray Includes Deleted Scenes, Five Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes, and more!

CULVER CITY, Calif. (September 19, 2017) - Idris Elba (Prometheus) and Academy Award® winner Matthew McConaughey (Best Actor, Dallas Buyers Club, 2013) star in THE DARK TOWER, the epic adventure based on the Stephen King book series, debuting on digital October 17 and on 4K Ultra HD™/Blu-ray™, Blu-ray and DVD October 31 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Roland, the last Gunslinger (Idris Elba) has been locked in an eternal battle with the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey), determined to prevent him from destroying the Dark Tower, which holds the universe together. With the fate of the worlds at stake, good and evil will collide in the ultimate battle. THE DARK TOWER also stars Tom Taylor making his feature film debut, Katheryn Winnick (“Vikings”), Claudia Kim (Avengers: Age of Ultron), Fran Kranz (The Cabin in the Woods), Abbey Lee (Mad Max: Fury Road) and Academy Award nominee Jackie Earle Haley (Best Supporting Actor, Little Children, 2006).

THE DARK TOWER Blu-ray is loaded with bonus material, including deleted scenes, a blooper reel and “A Look Through the Keyhole,” which features three vignettes narrated by Roland and The Man in Black. Also included are five behind-the-scenes featurettes that capture the imagination of fans. The filmmakers and Stephen King reveal the plot points that allowed the film to pay tribute to everything great about Stephen King's novels while making it a whole new experience for fans in “Last Time Around.” Fans step inside the fully realized sets and locations that play host to the physical embodiment of Stephen King's Mid-World in “The World Has Moved On …”. For “The Man in Black,” Matthew McConaughey takes the audience inside his perceptions and process for portraying the villain Walter, aka The Man in Black. Fans go behind the scenes and inside the stunt team's process for creating the action-packed battles in “The Gunslinger in Action”. Stephen King discusses the journey from his book series to screen in “Stephen King Inspirations.”

Synopsis:
Based on the best-selling book series by highly-acclaimed author Stephen King. The last Gunslinger, Roland (Idris Elba), has been locked in an eternal battle with the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey), determined to prevent him from toppling the Dark Tower, which holds the universe together. With the fate of the worlds at stake, good and evil will collide in the epic battle as only Roland can defend the Tower from the Man in Black.

From Columbia Pictures and MRC, directed by Nikolaj Arcel from a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman & Jeff Pinkner and Anders Thomas Jensen & Nikolaj Arcel, THE DARK TOWER was produced by Akiva Goldsman, Ron Howard and Erica Huggins and executive produced by G. Mac Brown and Jeff Pinkner.

Digital & Blu-ray Exclusive Bonus Materials Include:
Deleted Scenes
Blooper Reel
A Look Through the Keyhole
Five Featurettes
“Last Time Around”
“The World Has Moved On…”
“The Man in Black”
“The Gunslinger in Action”
“Stephen King Inspirations”
DVD Materials Include:
Blooper Reel
Two Featurettes:
“The Man in Black”
“The Gunslinger in Action”
THE DARK TOWER has a run time of approximately 98 minutes and is rated PG-13 for thematic material including sequences of gun violence and action.

Academy Award® is the registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

[Dom D Spoon! Find all posts View Profile Close Dom D]

I've read a lot of complaints about how this movie is just your typical Hollywood blockbuster using Dark Tower characters.

Very much the case. The story bares no resemblance to the book. The characters have been changed to be unrecognisable. The mysticism of the book is replaced with some cheap sci fi. The kid who was just a sacrificial offering in the book is now "the chosen one" with "the shine". Side note does "the shine" get mentioned in any other king books but The Shining? Certainly don't recall it in The Gunslinger.

SPOILERS****

I was kind of a bit in and out during the finale but I'm pretty sure they killed off the man in black and finished off the story. How many pages was this series? Well they've covered it in 100 minutes. McConaughey was good, which you expect these days, otherwise this is a misfire on all levels.

Should have been a tv series. Odd that these days there's more scope to be uncommercial and incomprehensible, which this needs, on tv than on film.

[geraldegivens Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close geraldegivens]

The Dark Tower

I just worked my way through The Gunslinger yesterday. Surprisingly short and oddly metaphysical stuff for King. I'm told the rest of the series runs for some 4,500 poages so I'll probably call it quits with the series while I still feel ahead of the game but I enjoyed it for what it was. I was surprised, however, by how blatantly he lifted from El Topo. So many elements of that film were mashed into the book I'm stunned Jodorowsky hasn't sued King silly.

Anyway the film adaptation is cast and shooting and I'm curious to see it. Thing is I can't see a 2017 adaptation of this material working. It really needs to be art house as fuck, be naratively murky and have 5 minute long unbroken takes of The Gunslinger walking through the desert. The kind of stuff you could really only get away with in the 70s when a director could be as obscure as he wanted to be and release a seriously pretentious film secure in the knowledge that the audiences would still turn out as long as he showed some tits. That guarantee is no longer there for any of us... I read the book conscious that there was a film in production and so was puzzling through how it would be approached. I saw a lot of difficulties that I couldn't see a way past for a mainstream blockbuster. Which given the names that have been attached to it (JJ Abrams, Akiva Goldsmith etc) is what I assume the film will be.

Actually I'd have more hope for this if it was being shot for TV. TV has a patience these days that's sorely lacking in film. The likes of Karnivale, Fargo, True Detective etc show TV audiences don't necessarily need answers to every question. The Gunslinger certainly poses a lot more questions than it's ready to give answers to.

If nothing else hopefully the film brings The Gunslinger to Jodorowsky's attention and he can finally get the lawsuits flying.

[Dom D Spoon! Find all posts View Profile Close Dom D]

That's the second time one of my posts from years ago has been reposted as a new thread under someone elses name.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Honest mistake, I'm sure. Time for a merge!

[Dom D Spoon! Find all posts View Profile Close Dom D]

No, no, I mean that's my post copy and pasted so no need to merge as it's already in the other thread. There's some kind of bug where my old posts are getting reposted. As it seems to be only happening with mine is it possible the bug is only on my end? Can't imagine how that would work...

[Alex K. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Alex K.]

It's possible that you have an evil twin too.