Mike Flanagan says his Dark Tower TV series will adapt King's books in order
In an interview on The Process Unlocked, director Mike Flanagan said his Dark Tower TV adaptation follows Stephen King's eight books in order and that he has "figured out" the approach. The series has not been greenlit.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Director Mike Flanagan said in an interview on The Process Unlocked, hosted by Jenelle Riley, that his TV adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower will start with the first novel, The Gunslinger, and follow the books in order. Screen RantN “his adaptation of The Dark Tower will begin with the first novel, The Gunslinger, and continue to tell the story in the same chronological order as Stephen King's books” Read at Screen Rant ↗ The A.V. ClubLC “which most recently landed him on Jenelle Riley’s The Process Unlocked” Read at The A.V. Club ↗ Mixed · 2Flanagan said the project is "incredibly daunting" but that "that one I feel I've figured out", and that his approach is simply "to do the books". The A.V. ClubLC “Dark Tower is incredibly daunting. That one I feel I’ve figured out.” Read at The A.V. Club ↗ Screen RantN “His approach is "to do the books,"” Read at Screen Rant ↗ Mixed · 2He praised King's structure, saying the series begins with two people in a bare desert and adds a universe "one brick at a time", and that starting elsewhere would throw an audience "face-first" into an overwhelming world. The A.V. ClubLC “And on top of that foundation, he adds a universe one brick at a time.” Read at The A.V. Club ↗ Screen RantN “you can't throw an audience face-first into this huge universe. It's overwhelming.” Read at Screen Rant ↗
Mixed · 2He said that while small changes are needed to fit the TV format, his version is "remarkably faithful" to the books, adding that "70% of my job is done for me by Steve." The A.V. ClubLC “my Dark Tower approach is remarkably faithful. And so 70% of my job is done for me by Steve.” Read at The A.V. Club ↗ Screen RantN “"little changes" have to be made to fit the TV format” Read at Screen Rant ↗ Centre · 1Screen Rant reports that Flanagan has finished the season 1 scripts and that King is "very happy" with them, and notes that King's saga has eight novels, which could imply eight seasons. Screen RantN “he's already finished The Dark Tower season 1's scripts and that Stephen King is "very happy" with them”“King's The Dark Tower saga includes eight novels, which potentially means Flanagan's TV show would also have eight seasons” Read at Screen Rant ↗ Mixed · 2The series has not been officially greenlit. The A.V. Club says Flanagan has been attached since late 2022 and signed an exclusive multi-year deal with Amazon MGM Studios in March, but that there are no plans to put the series on Prime Video. Screen RantN “Though the series has yet to be officially greenlit” Read at Screen Rant ↗ The A.V. ClubLC “Despite signing an exclusive multi-year deal with Amazon MGM Studios in March, there are no plans to plant the series at Prime Video” Read at The A.V. Club ↗
Left · 1The A.V. Club also cites Flanagan telling The Playlist in October that the series is "logistically difficult to get off the ground" but that his team "work on it constantly". It suggests success with his Warhammer 40,000 series with Henry Cavill could help persuade streaming partners. The A.V. ClubLC “logistically difficult to get off the ground”“it could be the proving ground he needs to convince his streaming partners to invest in Dark Tower at last” Read at The A.V. Club ↗ Centre · 1Screen Rant contrasts the plan with Sony's 2017 film, which starred Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, drew mostly negative reviews and earned $113 million on an estimated $66 million budget. Screen RantN “received mostly negative reviews from critics while earning $113 million on an estimated $66 million budget” Read at Screen Rant ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- The A.V. Club leads with Flanagan saying he has "figured out" the series but cautions readers against expecting movement, placing it in the context of his Carrie press tour, Warhammer 40,000 and the difficulty of finding a home for the show.
- Emphasis
- Business obstacles, the Amazon deal and Warhammer as a possible proving ground.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the finished season 1 scripts or King's approval, or the 2017 film.
- Charged language
- “much-ballyhooed”“onerous”
- For example
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“don’t get too excited about any movement on the series just yet” — The A.V. Club
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Screen Rant treats the interview as a confirmation of the series' structure, with a fan-oriented explainer on book order, possible season count and the 2017 film.
- Emphasis
- Book order, faithfulness, finished season 1 scripts, King's approval, the 2017 film's failure.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the Amazon MGM deal, the lack of a Prime Video plan, or the Warhammer 40,000 project.
- Charged language
- “magnum opus”“genius”
- For example
-
“Flanagan has made impressive progress on the daunting show” — Screen Rant
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Flanagan said on The Process Unlocked that his Dark Tower series will adapt the books in order, starting with The Gunslinger.
- He called his approach "remarkably faithful" to King's books.
- The series has not been officially greenlit.
Where accounts differ
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Outlook for the series
- Left
- The A.V. Club tells readers not to expect movement yet, citing no plans for Prime Video and the project's logistical difficulty.
- Centre
- Screen Rant presents it as impressive progress with scripts finished and King happy, awaiting a greenlight.
Mike Flanagan person
Says he has "figured out" The Dark Tower: adapt the books in order, remain faithful, and rely on King's structure. He acknowledges the project is daunting and hard to launch.
“Dark Tower is incredibly daunting. That one I feel I’ve figured out.” — The A.V. Club
“logistically difficult to get off the ground” — The A.V. Club
Stephen King person
According to Screen Rant, relaying Flanagan, King is "very happy" with the season 1 scripts. Flanagan credits King's book structure for most of the adaptation work.
“Stephen King is "very happy" with them” — Screen Rant
“70% of my job is done for me by Steve.” — The A.V. Club
Left1 article
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Mike Flanagan says he's "figured out" his Dark Tower TV series
Mixed Reports the same comments but tempers excitement, stressing that the series lacks a home and has made no visible progress.
Centre1 article
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Mike Flanagan Officially Confirms The Dark Tower TV Series' Book Adaptation Order & Structure
Celebratory Upbeat fan-oriented report presenting the book-order plan as encouraging progress.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 14 Oct 21:37 First Screen RantN Mike Flanagan Officially Confirms The Dark Tower TV Series' Book Adaptation Order & Structure
- 16 Oct 14:32 +40h 55m The A.V. ClubLC Mike Flanagan says he's "figured out" his Dark Tower TV series
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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