The Dark Tower: Mike Flanagan Reveals First Details About the New Stephen King Series
That's the plan Flanagan is pursuing!
Following "Carrie", director Mike Flanagan is already turning his attention to his next Stephen King adaptation. A live-action series based on the popular fantasy series "The Dark Tower" is in the works – and now the first details have emerged. In an interview with The Process Unlocked, Flanagan revealed how he plans to structure the extensive novel series for Prime Video. His main focus is on one thing: staying as close to the source material as possible. The series will actually adapt the first book, "The Gunslinger". After that, he plans to continue following the order set by King and unfold the story step by step.
Flanagan sees this as one of the source material's greatest strengths. At the beginning, the story is still relatively straightforward. The focus is on the Gunslinger, Roland Deschain, and the mysterious Man in Black. The plot initially takes viewers through a barren and mysterious world without immediately explaining all the rules and connections to the audience. Only as the story progresses does King open up his narrative, transforming Roland's journey into a vast epic that spans different worlds, time periods, and numerous connections to the author's other works. For Flanagan, it is precisely this slow build-up that is crucial. Instead of immediately confronting viewers with the entire mythology, he wants to expand the universe just as carefully as the books do.
It is not yet clear whether each novel will actually get its own season. After all, the main series comprises seven novels. The scripts for Season 1 have already been written. Stephen King himself also appears to be very satisfied. However, it could still be some time before "The Dark Tower" actually appears on screens.
The 2017 movie failed to impress
The 2017 movie already demonstrated that adapting "The Dark Tower" is anything but easy. At the time, Idris Elba took on the role of Roland Deschain, while Matthew McConaughey played Walter Padick, also known as the Man in Black.
Instead of adapting the novels faithfully, the film took a much freer approach to the source material. The result failed to win over either fans or critics. Financially, too, the film fell short of expectations: With a budget of $60 million, "The Dark Tower" grossed approximately $113 million worldwide. Consequently, the planned sequel never materialized.
Mike Flanagan and Stephen King: His Adaptations to Date
Flanagan is by no means a stranger when it comes to adapting Stephen King's stories for the screen. The director and screenwriter has already tackled the horror master's works on several occasions. In doing so, he has demonstrated, above all, a keen sense of how to preserve the essence of the source material while simultaneously bringing his own distinctive style to the table.
Gerald's Game: The Beginning of a Successful Collaboration
Flanagan delivered his first King adaptation in 2017 with "Geralds' Game". The Netflix film is based on the 1992 novel of the same name and tells the story of Jessie Burlingame, played by Carla Gugino. During a stay together in a remote house, her husband suddenly dies while Jessie is handcuffed to the bed. From this premise, Flanagan develops an intense psychological thriller in which reality, memories, and hallucinations increasingly blur. Precisely because King's novel was long considered difficult to adapt for the screen, the director was able to demonstrate with his adaptation just how well he can handle the author's more unconventional material.
Doctor Sleep: Between King and Kubrick
In 2019, "Doctor Sleep" followed – Flanagan's largest King project to date. In it, Ewan McGregor plays the adult Danny Torrance, who, decades after the events at the Overlook Hotel, is still haunted by his past. The particular challenge lay in combining two very different source materials. Flanagan adapted King's novel "Doctor Sleep", while at the same time drawing on Stanley Kubrick's legendary film "The Shining" both visually and narratively. The result is a sequel that takes into account both King's story and Kubrick's interpretation.
The Life of Chuck Strikes a Different Note
Flanagan subsequently demonstrated that Stephen King has far more to offer than just classic horror with "The Life of Chuck". The adaptation of the novella of the same name from the collection "Bloody News" premiered in 2024 and was released in theaters in 2025. Starring Tom Hiddleston in the lead role, the film tells an unusually structured and emotional story about life, death, and transience. The star-studded ensemble also includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, and Mark Hamill.
