‘Dark Tower’ TV Series Sets Ex-‘Walking Dead’ Boss to Showrun
No, Frank Darabont is not taking aim at another Stephen King property, but close! The Dark Tower TV series is moving forward despite troubling reviews for the film, setting The Walking Dead’s second showrunner, Glen Mazzara, to run point.
The Hollywood Reporter confirms that The Shield and Damien alum Glen Mazzara will serve as showrunner to the franchise’s TV arm, despite the lack of any attached network. The adaptation is reportedly planning a straight-to-series order of 10-13 episodes, with production eyed to begin in early 2018.
Says Mazzara:
I’ve been a Stephen King fan for decades and the opportunity to adapt The Dark Tower as a TV series is a great honor. The events of The Gunslinger, Wizard & Glass, The Wind Through the Keyhole, and other tales need a long format to capture the complexity of Roland’s coming of age — how he became the Gunslinger, how Walter became the Man in Black, and how their rivalry cost Roland everything and everyone he ever loved. I could not be more excited to tell this story. It feels like being given the key to a treasure chest. And oh yeah, we’ll have billy-bumblers!
Ron Howard and associated producers have suggested for years that King’s The Dark Tower could spawn multiple films, with a TV series bridging the gap between theatrical ventures. Akiva Goldsman was reportedly involved with a TV tie-in based on King’s novel Wizard and Glass, along with Howard, Jeff Pinkner and Brian Grazer; with Nikolaj Arcel and co-writer Anders Thomas Jensen working on the script. Confirmed now is that the series would follow a younger Roland Deschain, with Idris Elba potentially putting in occasional appearances.
We’ll see if early reviews for the film have any impact on box office or TV plans, but does Mazzara have the right take on a Dark Tower TV series?