Last week it was announced that Intrepid Pictures, the production company founded by Trevor Macy and Mark Evans -- later partnering with Mike Flanagan in 2019 -- would be leaving Netflix behind and inking a TV deal with Amazon Studios. This news once again sparked rumors of a possible Dark Tower series that would be headed by Mike Flanagan, a creative mind that truly understands how to bring the works of Stephen King alive.
Though collaborations with Amazon Studios have not been confirmed yet, we now know that a Dark Tower series is in the works over at Intrepid Pictures, with Mike Flanagan at the helm of the project. Sitting down with Deadline, both Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy were happy to discuss their new Amazon partnership, and the Dark Tower project they have in development.
"Predating our deal with Amazon, we acquired the rights to The Dark Tower," says Flanagan, a lifelong fan of the sci-fi/fantasy/western series of novels. "We actually have those rights carved out of our Amazon deal, which doesn’t mean that they can’t or won’t get behind it at some point — you don’t know. But that’s something we’ve been developing ourselves and are really passionate about finally getting it up on its feet at some point."
Back in October, Mike Flanagan sat down with IGN and revealed how the opening shot for his Dark Tower adaptation would look. What the director described was a scene that is practically lifted from the pages of the book, and a very positive sign that the Dark Tower adaptation is in good hands.
"I wrote a pilot, we view it as a series that’s going at least five seasons. And having lived with this project as long as I have, I have an enormous amount of it worked out in my brain," says the Doctor Sleep director, who continued by saying, "But I have a pilot script I’m thrilled with and a very detailed outline for the first season and a broader outline for the subsequent seasons."
Intrepid Pictures' adaptation of The Dark Tower book series is still in the very early stages of production, and I would hope that a release date is not scheduled for anytime next year. Still, it's good to know that a Dark Tower series is on the horizon, in the hands of a competent writer and director, who has a solid team of people in his corner, including author Stephen King.
