One of the biggest disappointments in recent genre movie history was the sad saga of The Dark Tower. Several years ago it was going to be a three movie series at Universal with Javier Bardem in the lead, then it fell apart at the last second. Then it was set up at Warner Brothers, where it also stalled.
Now Giant Freakin Robot tells us that Dark Tower rumors have been going around again, this time at Sundance. Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad mentioned that he’s not only a big fan of the books, but that he’s also had “a ton of meetings on that. I just had a general sit down with Ron Howard,” who is still attached to direct. Howard is a big fan of Breaking Bad, and as Paul said, “They’re definitely planning on making it.” In addition, Robot reports that Liam Neeson is interested in the Dark Tower as well.
The fact that there’s any movement on this at all is amazing, especially considering it fell apart at two major studios. Not even the star power of Bardem and Howard, still a major Hollywood A-list director, could keep both Universal and Warners from turning it down. (Stephen King expressed his dismay that Universal was more interested in churning out Fast and Furious films instead of anything risky.)
And indeed, this is a risky project. Three movies is a big commitment, and there was also a TV show that would air between big screen installments. Very ambitious, there’s no doubt about it, and we’re hoping that it will one day actually get made. It’s certainly promising news that Ron Howard and Stephen King are willing to endure the rigors of development hell to try and keep this project alive.
