Idris Elba as Roland Deschain in “The Dark Tower” film adaptation/Columbia Pictures ©
The Dark Tower’s path to the big screen has been nearly as winding as Roland’s path along the beam. We’ve seen rotating directors, casting rumors, shuffling studios— basically everything the hell that can be pre-production has to offer. But finally, Stephen King’s genre busting sci-fi/fantasy/western epic is on a collision course with cinemas nationwide.
More than three decades in the making, Stephen King’s Dark Tower series is the writer’s eight-volume magnum opus. It features a deep mythology, one of King’s greatest protagonists, and the introduction of an official multiverse that ties together nearly of all of King’s novels from Salem’s Lot to It to Insomnia and virtually everything in between. In the broadest terms, The Dark Tower is a gritty western by way of Tolkien with a healthy dose of Lovecraftian themes, and tinged with King’s trademark horror. There’s also a nefarious talking monorail, doors between worlds, and robot bears. It’s a trip, but in the absolute best way possible.
Sony released the first official trailer for “The Dark Tower” on May 3rd giving fans the first glimpse of Idris Elba in action as Roland Deschain and Matthew McConaughey’s take on the Man in Black. With “The Dark Tower” set to arrive in theaters on August 4th, we’re definitely feeling excited and here are four reasons you should be as well. Do ya kennit?
Speaking of That Trailer…
In a lot of ways the first trailer did precisely what a good trailer should do: it succinctly laid out the underlying conflict, introduced the key players, and dropped some easter eggs for die-hard fans (we’ll get to those in a second). Beyond those nuts and bolts, there was a lot to like. We got a healthy dose of Mid-World (a parallel world to our Earth and setting for the majority of the novels), including what appeared to be Gilead, and, of course, a vast stretch of desert for the Man in Black to flee across. What struck me most was seeing Roland Deschain (Idris Elba) in action. Roland has almost supernatural skill with his pistols and the movie appears to be nailing that aspect. From speed loading his guns to his uncanny accuracy, this cinematic Roland clearly kills with his heart and has not forgotten the face of his father.
The Underlying Story and its Potential…
The Dark Tower series can be a bit difficult describe. Stephen King culled his tale from a wide range of inspirations and cuts across genres with apparent glee. The central story follows Roland Deschain, a gunslinger on a quest to locate the Dark Tower— a sort of nexus of the multiverse. Gunslingers were essentially a class of knights who enforced laws and protected the lands of Mid-World and its capital city, Gilead. Unfortunately, Roland is the last gunslinger destined to wander the desolate wastes of a Mid-World ravaged by war. Interestingly, the film will not be a straight adaptation but rather a sort of sequel to the novels. It’s a concept that works well in the framework of Stephen King’s story, but explaining why would require a post unto itself. It may be a disappointment for fans hoping for a more straightforward adaptation, but if you can wrap your mind around the concept, there’s a lot to like.
The Man Himself is On Board…
For me, this is pretty huge. Stephen King himself has not only given the film his blessing, but he’s made some edits to the script (largely to Roland’s dialogue). And perhaps more importantly, King has seen the film and, in his words, thinks “it’s terrific.” It’s fairly hard to dismiss Stephen King’s take because the author has never been shy about calling out what he considers subpar adaptations of his novels— see his long-simmering dislike of “The Shining” as Exhibit A. I’d argue that if Stephen King has given it his seal of approval, then odds are fans are in for a treat.
A Lot of the Best Elements Are in Place
The trailer showed off a fair amount of core elements that should have fans excited. Shawn Speakman has a great breakdown of a few those elements here. In short, we see the Tower, the Beams, the Mansion on Dutch Hill from The Wastelands (Volume III of The Dark Tower), a Crimson King shoutout, and Roland’s big six shooters with the sandalwood grips. But beyond the a core elements, there were some great sly calls to the Stephen King’s other works, and given that The Dark Tower is basically the center of a Stephen King multiverse, this is a very good thing. For instance, at about the forty second mark of the trailer, during Jake Chamber’s (Tom Taylor) therapy session, there is a picture of the Overlook Hotel behind the therapist. The Overlook Hotel is, of course, the haunted hotel at the center of The Shining. And if you look closely at about the 1:30 mark, you can see Jake at the ruins of an amusement park with the word “Pennywise” in lights. Given that Pennywise the Dancing Clown – one of Stephen King’s most iconic villains— will be menacing audiences when “IT” arrives in September, this was a pretty nice touch. All things serve the beam, my friends, and there are other worlds than these.
“The Dark Tower” is due to arrive in theaters on August 4th. Until then, long days and pleasant nights.
The post Four Reasons You Should Be Excited for The Dark Tower appeared first on Unbound Worlds.
