New Dark Tower developments – UPDATE: HBO will produce the TV-series

A while now it seemed that the ambitious adaption of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower would not get made due to budget problems, but Indiewire reported some news that might give some hope that this project might still be happening:

Producer Brian Grazer had the following to say

We found a way to cut out $45 million out of the budget without changing the scope and actually giving it a good ending […] In the $140 million draft, the ending wasn’t quite as satisfying. Now, we’ve got $45 million, $50 million out of the way and a really satisfying ending. It’s gonna get made.

The ending of the first movie will be pivotal if they are planning to make more sequels. A story as strange as The Dark Tower needs to leave a satisfying, yet addictive impression. While I myself enjoyed the first volume The Gunslinger a lot I have more than once encountered people who stopped reading because of part I. I had to force two of my friends to continue to read on and after they reluctantly got a copy of The Drawing of the Three they went on to read the entire series.

So I can understand that the producers want to have a “satisfying ending” – assuming they are talking about the ending of the first movie and not the series itself. If this project takes off, the first movie needs to be like an amazing pilot for a TV-show but still feel like a “real” movie and not just a setup.

News from other worlds:
Despite stories about the Harry Potter due David Yates and Steve Kloves planning to adapt The Stand – it now seems as if those plans are cancelled as Warner Brothers chose Ben Affleck to write and direct the adaption of The Stand.

UPDATE:
In even better news HBO is going to be responsible for the television series that will continue the story after Dark Tower 1. For anyone familiar with the superb adaption of Game of Thrones this should be delightful news.