Mike Flanagan's 'Dark Tower' Adaptation Gets A Promising Update From Stephen King

Saying “Mike Flanagan is busy” would be a bit of an understatement. The man filmed an adaptation of Stephen King’s The Life of Chuck which will hit screens this June. He is taking over the Exorcist franchise, writing and directing a new entry that he describes as “the scariest movie [he’s] ever made.” Meanwhile, he wrote a Clay Face movie which will be made for James Gunn’s DCU. That’s a lot of stuff by most standards! And yet, further down the path, he is still searching for the Dark Tower.

The Doctor Sleep director acquired the rights to Stephen King’s opus almost three years ago. He plans to do a faithful adaptation of the books as a series, something that makes a lot of sense and is refreshing if you were unlucky enough to see the Dark Tower film adaptation in theaters. It was a movie I disliked so thoroughly I stopped reading the books in the middle of the series as it took all the momentum right out of me. I would finish them eventually, and it’s easily my favorite book series. I love King, and the craziness of the books was right up my alley.

I also love Mike Flanagan. He’s made some of my favorite movies over the last several years, and his Netflix miniseries Midnight Mass has devastated me each time I’ve watched it, much to my liking. His Stephen King bonafides are nothing to sneeze at, delivering successful adaptations of Doctor Sleep, Gerald’s Game, and from what early buzz says, The Life of Chuck. I can’t think of anyone better suited to tackle Roland Deschain’s mad quest for the Tower. So, it’s been a real bummer that we haven’t heard any updates about the project since it was announced.

Things in Hollywood take time. That is just a fact. But Flanagan having the rights and a deal with Amazon made it seem like this project was H O T T O G O (even if Amazon had passed on a previous Tower pilot). Instead, we’ve been waiting anxiously for updates as Flanagan does everything else. With each newly announced project, I get a little more nervous that his adaptation may never get off the ground. However, like Maturin itself, Stephen King has emerged with a hopeful update.

The author appeared in a roundtable interview about a new adaptation of his short story The Monkey. There, he was asked if he would write any new material for The Dark Tower adaptation like he did for the 2020 version of The Stand and hoo boy did he give an answer! “All I can say is it’s happening,” King explained. “I am writing stuff now and I think that’s all I want to say because the next thing you know, I’ll stir up a bunch of stuff I don’t necessarily want to stir up yet. I’m in process right now, and to say too much feels like a jinx.” Yes, great, don’t jinx it, Stephen, please!

I would also not like to jinx this adaptation, but King’s reveal makes me incredibly excited. Aside from On Writing, the Dark Tower series is the closest we’ll get to a look inside the famed horror author’s head. It is his brain spread over seven novels (and additional materials). He is also very involved in the story aside from just authoring the books. If he wants to write new material for it, I’m all ears and eyes. Nothing is confirmed yet and even King seems a little apprehensive, but the Tower feels closer than ever.