Finally the long wait is over.Stephen King's magnum opus of fantasy/science fiction/western series,The Dark Tower has been greenlit for production with J.J. Abrams as director.Abrams,a huge King fan who has studded many references to the Tower series into his TV show,
Lost – is reportedly in talks to do what many thought impossible, and turn the apparently unfilmable seven-book series into a movie. Or series of movies.
King,who spoke in last year's New York Comic-Con.says “I know J.J. Abrams’ work and Damon Lindelof, who is his collaborator on Lost. Damon is just a total comic-book freak, and he loves the Dark Tower books. I trust those guys, and they have a lot on the ball. When they said they wanted to talk about doing this, I said, ‘You know what? Why don’t you buy the option on this and see what you can come up with.’ They asked, ‘How much do you want for an option?’ I said, ‘$19.’ (A key amount that comes up frequently in the books) And that’s what they paid me, and that’s where it is.”
King has declined earlier offers of making his popular series into a movie.
“This is my life’s work, since the time I was 22 years old. It’s very important to me. Usually, with the other [books], I don’t give much of a shit. My attitude is, ‘Go make a movie, and if it’s good, that’s terrific, and if it’s bad, then it will go to the video stores and back shelves of Blockbuster, and I still get royalties on the book."King also revealed that he turned down an offer from longtime collaborator Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile,The Mist.)
The Dark Tower is the story of a man from an alternate universe named Roland Deschain.The last living member of an order of gunslingers, but more like knights. He’s on a quest to find something called “The Dark Tower”, and his journey takes him through his world, described as a place that has “moved on”, and into a world very similar to our own.The seven books are
Book One:The Gunslinger -Roland Deschain,The Last Gunslinger,embarks on a quest for The Dark Tower, a fabled building said to either be, or be located at, the nexus of all universes.Essentially a dark and existential fantasy Western.
Book Two: The Drawing Of The Three - A fast-moving action piece in which Roland picks up his travelling companions, while losing something very dear to him.
Book Three:The Waste Lands-The three gunslingers follow the Path of the Beam inland to Mid-World.
Book Four: Wizard And Glass-In a setting inspired by JRR Tolkien,the gunslingers find themselves in an alternate version of Kansas City and meet the Crimson King for the first time.
Book Five:Wolves Of The Calla -Roland's
ka-tet travel to the farming village of Calla Bryn Sturgis where they meet the townsfolk,who requests the ka-tet's assistance in battling against the Wolves of Thunderclap.Book five major ifluences includes Yojimbo,The Seven Samurai,The Magnificent Seven and A Fistful of Dollars with a post-modern twist.
Book Six:Song Of Susannah- The
ka-tet employs the help of the
Manni to open the magic door inside Doorway Cave. They are split up in different 'wheres' and 'whens' in order to accomplish several essential goals pertaining to their quest towards the mysterious Dark Tower.a mind-twisting thriller spanning several time periods in
New York City and East
Stoneham,
Maine.
Book Seven: The Dark Tower -Roland and the
ka-tet, must stop a group of psychics known as Breakers who continue to use their telepathic abilities to break away at the beams that support the Tower.
Since then the series spawned a series of graphic novels, a prequel called Dark Tower : The Gunslinger Born published by Marvel Comics.
