THE DARK TOWER will be made into a movie

[Turd Ferguson]

I will agree that, on re-reading for the first time in God knows how long, I'm finding Wolves of the Calla not as interesting as the previous novels. I'm curious what I will think of the last two books. As for Wind Through The Keyhole, I haven't read it yet.

I read through the first four books in two weeks in high school... then had to wait years for Wolves of the Calla. Needless to say, I was PUMPED! at the thought of finishing Roland's journey. Wolves of the Calla, while I enjoyed seeing Father Callahan again, was a bit of a slog for me. Song of Susannah was a quicker read for me, but went WAAAAAAYYYY the fuck off the rails at the end. I was disgusted reading The Dark Tower. I didn't expect Roland to get a happy ending, but the whole book just felt cynical to me. Definitely a gut punch seeing characters I grew to love get taken out in shitty ways and villains that had been badasses in other books get taken out like chumps in this one. My sourness on Dark Tower VII has me hesitant to read Wind Through the Keyhole, but I'm somewhat looking forward to seeing Idris Elba as Roland Deschain.

 

[DonIago]

I wonder whether it's just that I'm overly-cynical, that as I'm reading some of these comments my inside voice is going "What did you think was going to happen?"

 

[StCoop]

So at this point with virtually no publicity or knowledge of the film outside of people who had already heard of the books, is it safe to say this is going to be a massive flop?

 

[Beagleman]

I suppose that is a strong possibility. And sadly the usual group of assholes will cry that it's the fault of casting Elba.

 

[psCargile]

It's explained in The Gunslinger that Roland's universe is contained within an atom on a dying blade of grass. There is nothing he can really do about stopping his world from "moving on" or bringing it back. Roland's only escape from his loop is to give up his quest for the Dark Tower, which is what Walter suggests he do.

Looking forward to the movie.

 

[Nerys Myk]

So at this point with virtually no publicity or knowledge of the film outside of people who had already heard of the books, is it safe to say this is going to be a massive flop?

I saw a trailer for it in front of Spider-man Homecoming. Posters in the theater. Ads online and on TV.

 

[Mage]

So at this point with virtually no publicity or knowledge of the film outside of people who had already heard of the books, is it safe to say this is going to be a massive flop?

I do see this happening. I think it might become a small cult-hit over the years, with fans of the books, but I doubt it's going to be the franchise they think it could be, with other movies being made after this.
And really, I need to judge after I see the actual movie, but I don't know what they want to do with those other movies. We've already seen things in the trailer for this movie (the haunted house from book three, Roland going to our world from book 2) that makes we wonder which parts of the books they want to use for the other movies? In terms of what happens when, I mean. Again, the haunted house was something that only happened in book three after events that needed to happen in book two. And now we're getting in the first movie. To get to the haunted house, we needed charaters introduced in book 2, that aren't in this movie.
I know that movies based on books always take liberties with how the story goes, and that's fine with me, because it's impossible to actually do it page by page. But this seems to be very loosely inspired by the books, instead of actually being based on them.

 

[DonIago]

But if the movie is not so much based on the iteration of Roland's quest that we see in the novels as a subsequent trip, then it stands to reason that matters could transpire differently.

 

[Gaith]

I saw a trailer for it in front of Spider-man Homecoming.

Same here, and oh my, does it look like a nothing burger. I thought the Ghost in the Shell trailer gave newcomers to its franchise nothing to grab on to, but at least that had ScarJo in a skin-tight flesh-colored suit. This, OTOH, had the exact same swishy portal effect from Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which played right before it (or after, who can remember?), and some empty landscapes and dark shanty towns or whatever that look like a middling cable TV production. This is what I've been hearing development and production rumors about for something like a decade? Sony ought to be afraid... very afraid.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Same here, and oh my, does it look like a nothing burger. I thought the Ghost in the Shell trailer gave newcomers to its franchise nothing to grab on to, but at least that had ScarJo in a skin-tight flesh-colored suit. This, OTOH, had the exact same swishy portal effect from Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which played right before it (or after, who can remember?), and some empty landscapes and dark shanty towns or whatever that look like a middling cable TV production. This is what I've been hearing development and production rumors about for something like a decade? Sony ought to be afraid... very afraid.

That's what I've thought so far. Not only are you not going to follow the lead from the books but the alternative seems to be to do generic Hollwood blockbuster. Granted, trailers aren't everything and maybe it will be decent but the first impression isn't great.

 

[Dream]

I think the studio has already given up on this movie.

Looks like it will flop.

But at least we will always have the novels.

Now IT?

That movie looks like is going to be HUGE. I guess killer clowns are in right now.

 

[theenglish]

This is something that should have been made into a television series. It would have fit very well into five to seven seasons with the flashbacks from Wizards and Glass taking place over the course of the series.

 

[publiusr]

.... at least that had ScarJo in a skin-tight flesh-colored suit.

So, if she dated Marjoe Gortner--what would that supercouple be called?

 

[StCoop]

So running time has been confirmed at 95 minutes (including credits). Not much time there to launch a multi-film/tv franchise,

 

[Mr. Adventure]

So, if she dated Marjoe Gortner--what would that supercouple be called?

yuck?

 

[JD]

So at this point with virtually no publicity or knowledge of the film outside of people who had already heard of the books, is it safe to say this is going to be a massive flop?

I didn't notice that until I saw an article on Io9 that pointed out that all of the trailers and everything are pretty much just using the same few scenes, just cut differently. It's starting to make me a little nervous that those might be the only decent scenes in the movie.

So running time has been confirmed at 95 minutes (including credits). Not much time there to launch a multi-film/tv franchise,

That's it? That is one of the shortest run times for a big blockbuster movie I've seen in a while. Granted some of them get a little dragged out, but it seems like most of the other big movies like the Star Wars, Marvels, DCs, ect. are usually around 2-2 1/2 hours long. Of all of the Marvel movies to come after AoU, the Disney Star Wars movies, and the DCEU, the shortest was Doctor Strange at 115 minutes.

 

[Bruno]

So, if she dated Marjoe Gortner--what would that supercouple be called?

ScarMar? Jojo? Either way they'd be the "it" couple of 1974.

 

[StCoop]

That's it? That is one of the shortest run times for a big blockbuster movie I've seen in a while. Granted some of them get a little dragged out, but it seems like most of the other big movies like the Star Wars, Marvels, DCs, ect. are usually around 2-2 1/2 hours long. Of all of the Marvel movies to come after AoU, the Disney Star Wars movies, and the DCEU, the shortest was Doctor Strange at 115 minutes.

I'd normally be the sort of person who comes out feeling films are far too long (did anyone sit through 'A Cure For Wellness'?) but given all the set-up this should be doing, in theory at least, it makes no sense.

I'm guessing they've hacked a lot out at the last minute and we're going to be left with a film that takes place mostly on Earth.

 

[Nerys Myk]

ScarMar? Jojo? Either way they'd be the "it" couple of 1974.

It is legal to date some one who is -10 years old?

 

[Sgt. Sacrament]

So, has the studio basically given up on this film? Virtually no marketing, no buzz, no nothing. It's like it's DOA, and I'll bet no TV series to boot... at least not the immediately planned TV series; perhaps HBO or someone will 'do it right' in a few years - by which I mean that I think this material would be better suited to a TV series with, say, 10 episodes a season for multiple seasons.