Variety reports that Universal has officially passed on the adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower
. The writing was on the wall, wasn't it? I've certainly been speculating about it here on the site, as we've seen Javier Bardem and Ron Howard lining up project after project, which seemed impossible considering the time the project would consume.The original plan was massive in scope, an immediate red flag considering the number of expensive films we've seen dumped or drastically reworked(At the Mountains of Madness
, Akira
) in an effort to save money. Ron Howard was set to direct the franchise, which would have included a trilogy of films, and a highly ambitious pair of television seasons. With a commitment like that, it was unlikely Howard or Bardem could take on anything else, and yet Howard's name has been attached to like half a dozen films, while Bardem has a villain role in Bond 23 upcoming. Universal put the film in "turnaround" back in May, which basically meant that other studios could either take it over or co-finance. Not long after, Universal decided to hold on to the property, but at a vastly reduced cost, further delaying a start date. Ron Howard recently stated that he and super producer Brian Grazer were definitely moving forward on it. That may still be the case. Howard will likely still direct it if another studio takes it on, but it remains to be seen if that'll happen.
It'd be a shame to see a potentially awesome bunch of movies like this go down the drain, but I honestly believe Howard and Co. were way too ambitious. It's already going to be tough enough adapting King's genre twisting western/sci-fi/fantasy novels for the big screen, but adding the element of TV was just too much. A refocused effort, one that maybe just includes one or the other, may be the best approach. Here's hoping they make it a TV show, slap it on HBO or Showtime, and call it a day.
