If we're gonna go solely on the word of super producer Brian Grazer, The Dark Tower is definitely going to happen, despite it running into a number of major stumbling blocks. Heck, they weren't so much stumbling blocks as brick walls, but a production as huge as the one he, along with Ron Howard and Akiva Goldsman, were planning was bound to run into problems. The plan initially had them adapting Stephen King's hybrid western/fantasy in a big screen trilogy, bridged by a pair of television seasons. Universal, probably weary after a string of big budget flops on their balance sheet, balked at the massive undertaking and The Dark Tower seemed as good as dead.
Until just a few days ago when Grazer said the budget had been trimmed down, meaning the film would definitely happen. He left open some big questions, like if Universal was still in the picture, and how much of the scope had been diminished. But fortunately for us, Grazer appears to happy to talk on the subject, and in speaking with MTV revealed that the television aspect has found the perfect home...
Grazer: “We’re going to do [‘The Dark Tower’] with HBO. We’ll do the TV with HBO, and we’ll do the movie with…to be determined. We’ll do it right.”
Bring it. In the same way I couldn't imagine Neil Gaiman's American Gods done anywhere but on the cable network, The Dark Tower needs to be on HBO. That way there'll be no restrictions, and they'll be free to push any boundaries they see fit.
It's assumed that Javier Bardem is still on board for the lead role of gunslinger Roland Deschain, but with the delays that has to be considered up in the air at this point. And what of Ron Howard? He didn't exactly sit on his hands while all this was going on, putting his name to a number of potential directing projects, namely the Formula One racing flick, Rush. Whatever happens, at least The Dark Tower appears to be back on track, and with HBO lending it's support I'm more excited for it than ever.
