Last week, news broke that Mike Flanagan and his producing partner Trevor Macy jumped ship from Netflix to Amazon on a new overall TV deal. Now there’s news about what Flanagan’s first project with Amazon might be. And for fans of the director (and Stephen King), it’s great news.
Variety reports (via a Deadline interview) that Intrepid Pictures, Flanagan and Macy’s banner, acquired the rights to adapt King’s “The Dark Tower” book series into a TV series. Many consider “The Dark Tower” to be King’s greatest achievement, an epic genre-hybrid story that sprawls over eight novels, one short story, and a children’s book. Flanagan has plans for his take on King’s tale that are just as epic. He envisions “The Dark Tower” as a five-season show, followed by two standalone feature films.
“Predating our deal with Amazon, we acquired the rights to “The Dark Tower,” which if you know anything about me, you know it has been my Holy Grail of a project for most of my life,” Flanagan told Deadline. “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.”
It’s worth noting that even though “The Dark Tower” comes through Flanagan and Macy’s new Amazon deal, it’s not a guarantee that the series will end up on Prime Video. Other streamers and networks have a shot at it as well. And given the pedigree of Flanagan’s other King adaptations like “Gerald’s Game” and “Doctor Sleep,” expect the bidding war to end with a high number. However, the abysmal critical reception to 2017’s “The Dark Tower,” a film with Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, which served as a direct sequel to King’s series, may deter some parties. That film was a disaster, with a ten-year production and massive re-edits before its theatrical release.
A new take on “The Dark Tower” is in good hands with Mike Flanagan, though. Critics loved his various series for Netflix, including “Midnight Mass,” “The Haunting Of Hill House,” and this year’s “The Midnight Club.” “The Fall Of The House Of Usher,” another Flanagan limited series for Netflix, will likely hit the streamer next year. Other upcoming projects for Flanagan include a film adaptation of Christopher Pike‘s 1993 sci-fi horror novel “The Season Of Passage.”
So, when will Flanagan’s “The Dark Tower” start development? At this point, who knows, but if he and Macy wind up doing their intended five-series, two-film plan, expect it to take quite a while. All in due time, but expect Flanagan to give King’s magnum opus his best effort.
