Why Stephen King’s ‘The Dark Tower’ Is So Hard to Adapt

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  • What Is ‘The Dark Tower’ About?
  • ‘The Dark Tower’s Commercial and Critical Response
  • ‘The Dark Tower’s Previous Attempts, Explained

As a devoted fan of Stephen King’s works and someone who has spent countless hours immersed in the intricate worlds he weaves, I must say that the cinematic adaptation of “The Dark Tower” left me feeling as if I had stumbled upon a half-built ruin in the desolate lands of Mid-World.

Starting December 1, 2024, “The Dark Tower” will make its debut on Netflix, quickly becoming the fourth most-viewed film within just a few days. This highly anticipated adaptation of Stephen King’s extensive novel series didn’t strike a chord with audiences or critics, earning a moderate box office revenue of $113 million against a production budget of $66 million (according to The Numbers). The lackluster earnings and negative reviews have effectively ended any prospects for a cinematic sequel, leaving fans to ponder the challenges of adapting such an expansive narrative for the screen.

Prior to the 2017 release, many attempts were made to bring Stephen King’s epic novel series to the screen, with prominent figures like J.J. Abrams and Ron Howard spearheading these efforts. Regrettably, each unsuccessful attempt led to the decision to merge all eight novels into a single, streamlined narrative, which ultimately hindered the final product. Now that The Dark Tower is set to dominate its competition on Netflix, exploring its production history, reception from critics and audiences, among other aspects, will shed light on why adapting this story has proven so challenging.

What Is ‘The Dark Tower’ About?

The Dark Tower is a collection of eight novels, a novella, and one children’s book written by Stephen King, published between 1982 (with the first novel) and 2004. In total, these books span over 4,000 pages of narrative. The story revolves around an old West gunslinger named Roland Deschain who is assigned a mission: to locate and safeguard a massive tower structure from a wicked adversary known as the Man in Black.

The Dark Tower is believed to stand at the heart of all existing realms, offering refuge for crumbling nations and adjacent territories. Roland’s journey leads him to encounter various allies and adversaries on his path to The Dark Tower. Among his allies are Jake Chambers, Oy, Eddie, and Susannah Dean. His enemies include The Man in Black, The Crimson King, and Mordred. The movie brings together elements from all previous literary works while also continuing the storyline from the novels, a challenge for creators due to the intricate nature of The Dark Tower.

‘The Dark Tower’s Commercial and Critical Response

In 2017, Nikolaj Arcel, a Danish director, brought a film adaptation of “The Dark Tower” to life, with Idris Elba portraying Roland Deschain. Surprisingly, despite Stephen King’s dedicated fanbase, the movie was severely criticized and could not even double its production cost at the box office. The film had a budget of $66 million and grossed $113 million worldwide. Although it didn’t fail completely, the movie wasn’t considered successful enough to prompt a sequel.

Approximately eight years ago, The Dark Tower received a Metascore of nearly 34 and a staggering 16% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The primary criticism from both critics and Stephen King enthusiasts was that the film compressed all ten books into a single narrative, which resulted in a loss of focus, diminished dramatic impact, and left more questions than answers for a satisfying resolution. The irony lies in the fact that The Dark Tower was initially planned as the launching point for an extensive multimedia franchise; however, the creators found it necessary to pack all crucial story elements and plot points into a rushed 95-minute movie, ultimately benefiting no one.

Expressing numerous concerns, Dan Callahan from The Wrap addresses the seemingly insurmountable challenges of adaptation.

After years of dedicated work, my personal journey towards bringing “The Dark Tower” to life on the silver screen has unfortunately culminated into a disastrous outcome. What was once full of potential now feels like a lifeless, incoherent shadow of its former self on the big screen.

Uproxx’s Mike Ryan added:

It appears I’ve been informed that “The Dark Tower” series is filled with intricate plots, captivating characters, and an expansive mythology, which made it challenging to adapt for film over the years. However, it seems they decided to disregard all of that rich detail, instead releasing a surprisingly brief 95-minute movie that breezes through everything so swiftly that it leaves little meaning or purpose behind.

Regardless of opinions from critics, casual moviegoers, and fans of Stephen King, the movie received a lukewarm response:

‘The Dark Tower’s Previous Attempts, Explained

Prior to the release of the 2017 movie version, at least two significant attempts to bring the story to the big screen had already taken place. From 2007 to 2009, J.J. Abrams invested substantial resources into adapting ‘The Dark Tower’. He enlisted the writers of ‘Lost’, Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof, to pen the screenplay. In 2008, Abrams shared with AMC his intentions to adapt ‘The Dark Tower’ as a seven-part film series (novel number eight was not yet published at that time), which could have been a more strategic approach.

Unfortunately, the taxes on “Lost” delayed production, as Cuse and Lindelof were hesitant about embarking on another large-scale project following the completion of their highly ambitious TV series. In 2009, Abrams relinquished the rights to the novel he had bought for a meager $19 (a significant number in the books). By November 2009, Abrams confirmed that he was no longer involved in adapting “The Dark Tower,” informing MTV:

The Dark Tower situation is complex. To clarify, neither Damon nor I are focusing on it at the moment.

In April 2010, five months after the initial attempt, renowned film director Ron Howard took over and endeavored to transform “The Dark Tower” into a three-part movie series for Universal Pictures. The strategy involved premiering a television season of “The Dark Tower” between the releases of the movies. Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman was enlisted to write the scripts, initiating a five-year journey that unfortunately led nowhere.

Initially, Universal aimed to produce three films and two TV series concurrently, which significantly increased production expenses. In response, they considered assistance from external studios to prevent a total shutdown. Warner Bros. showed initial interest but eventually declined after reviewing Goldsman’s script in 2012. The project remained dormant for another three years until Sony stepped in, appointed Arcel as director, and secured Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey for the lead roles.

The troubled filming journey of “The Dark Tower” clearly demonstrates that the story is overwhelmingly complex, making it challenging to condense into a single feature film. Previous efforts to adapt the novels into a broader media empire also faced financial and logistical hurdles that were difficult to overcome. It’s evident now that even with Abrams and Howard at the helm, the task was too daunting given their resources and past successes. Neither Arcel nor anyone else could have successfully tackled it. For your convenience, “The Dark Tower” is available for streaming on Netflix.

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2024-12-07 21:34