Ron Howard Comments on The Dark Tower

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, The Dark Tower executive producer Ron Howard very briefly talks the film. He reiterates the progress made about the budget and story but doesn't talk about the rumor of a possible deal with HBO over the two TV series. He basically didn't want to talk about it because he said the below and then shifted the conversation back to promoting Formula One, a movie he currently in pre-production on. Long story short, even if a minor miracle happens and the Dark Tower is fast tracked, the earlier it will go before the camera is 2013 as I am betting any condition of financing will be based on Ron Howard directing the first film.

THR: What’s the future of Dark Tower?
Howard: We are continuing to work on the script to find ways to make the budget more manageable and still deliver the work in a way that the project deserves. We were always racing and fast-tracking the project, so I always wince when I see something written about it and there’s a release date in there. These kinds of projects often take years to come together in the right ways. But I am in love with the material, and the minute it can come together in the right way, I am fully committed to it.

Update on The Dark Tower

In an interview with Deadline to discuss the 25th Anniversary of their partnership, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard discussed their career together. They also provided an update on The Dark Tower which was recently delayed so the script could be reworked to meet a smaller budget mandated by Universal. Overall no new information was disclosed. They did reiterate that Javier Bardem wants to play Roland but no contract has been signed. No surprise as no point until a script exists. The full article can be found here with the Dark Tower segments below.

DEADLINE: Why does Dark Tower warrant three movies and two TV series in between?
HOWARD: The universe Steve King created is so dimensional and creative. It blends scope, sweep, and adventure with some very personal compelling stories. We could have tried to force all of it into one or two or three movies. It became clear to me that the medium of TV has become so bold and cool, we could use it to our advantage creatively and really fulfill the possibilities of this universe of characters King gave us to work with. We can use the intimacy of television when that’s appropriate, and the scope and scale of the big screen with the bigger fantasy ideas. We discovered elements that would probably never have a home either on the big screen or on TV, but would make fantastic narrative gaming opportunities that won’t rehash the movies or TV, but have its own material borne out of the books and graphic novels. We’ve got gaming designers and there is enthusiasm for that. It’s a way to use all the mediums at our disposal to try to fulfill what’s possible. Universal sees this as an asset that can benefit the company in a lot of different ways.

DEADLINE: You’ve been asked to bring down the budget. By how much?
GRAZER: I’m producing it with Akiva Goldsman, who wrote it to be sensitive to cost and is rewriting it to be more so. Without putting a number on it, the cuts aren’t that deep or that radical.

DEADLINE: Is Javier Bardem set to play the main gunslinger Roland Deschains?
HOWARD: Nobody is pay or play but he has said he wants to do it. We’ve spent a lot of time together. He’s fascinated by the character and has great instincts for Roland. I’m hoping when we go, he’s available and will join us.

Ron Howard Talks Dark Tower Delay

In a brief interview with Entertainment Weekly, The Dark Tower executive producer discussed the recent delays that as pushed the start of production from September to next year. The news came out that Comcast executives were about the drop the project due to budget concerns that Howard was able to address with a smaller budget that in turn required a re-write of the script and planning.

“We had to pull back to our September start date due to budget delays and ongoing story development and logistical issues, but Dark Tower is moving forward,” Howard said. “We’re thinking of starting in early spring now. I can’t really say who’ll be in it yet, but Javier Bardem has shown a great deal of interest. We’ll know by the end of the summer, when our flashing green light goes solid.” The project would start with a feature film, followed by six hours of TV content, starring the same actors as in the movie. “There are elements of the Dark Tower saga that are more personal and can be best dealt with on television,” Howard continued. “TV allows you to roll out details of the characters in a more methodical way.”

More Details on Dark Tower TV Series

In an interview with Howard Stern to promote his latest movie The Dilemma, the producer of The Dark Tower adaptation for movie and TV revealed a little bit more about his plans for the TV series. The known plan is three movies and two TV series. Howard revealed the plan would at least the first TV program is a six hour mini-series. Chances are if that is successful then the second TV series would be the same. He also verified the recent rumor that Viggo Mortensen and Javier Bardem are his frontrunners for the role of Roland Deschain.

Exactly how the seven book Dark Tower series and the comic book series that fills out more of the back story and youth of Roland will be broken up remains unknown. I wouldn't be surprised if story points, flashbacks and details that flesh out the epic (like Roland's youth and fall of Gilead) but not needed to understand the trilogy will be relegated to the TV series. Despite its length, there is plenty that could be cut from the epic that non-Dark Tower fans wouldn't miss and something like a TV series is a good way to service those stories. Besides, I just don't see either frontrunner agreeing to a TV series outside of a cameo appearance and the producers probably are not going to push it as paying the salary would be very expensive.

More from Howard on The Dark Tower

Ron Howard continues with prepping Stephen King opus, The Dark Tower for movies and television. In an article from Hero Complex the director and producer discusses some of the preliminary mental prep and passion he has for translating this project. The full article is here, below are portions of Howard's comments.

“I really can’t stop thinking about it,” Howard said while shaking his head. “We’ve been meeting and talking and I’ve been reading and researching and just kind of living with it. I’ve been constantly going through stuff and I’ve just been re-listening to it [on audio books] on my iPod and we’ve been sending e-mails back and forth, ‘What about this approach? What do you think of this idea?’ We’re finding the shape of it. We’re moving quickly now, as quickly as we can, and I feel challenged in the most exciting ways.”

”We worked on it for a year before we even met with him,” Howard said. “It was all about putting something together that was good enough and getting such an understanding of the material that Stephen King would say, ‘Yes, that’s the way into this story.”

“It’s the ongoing evolution of the characters and the discovery,” Howard said of the comics that are plotted by Robin Furth and scripted by Peter David with King overseeing everything as creative director. “There are new interpretations of the rules of the world and the story. It’s a really useful and compelling part of this already fascinating creative journey that we’re on.”

“It’s different than anything I’ve ever done and in really interesting ways,” the 56-year-old said. “With ‘Da Vinci’ the mandate was different. That was about getting the story and the action and focusing on acting. With this, there’s this entire world and all of these references and there are the books and the graphic novels and just talking to Stephen and it’s all this ongoing conversation with the material and it’s really exciting. In all of it, he leaves a lot open to interpretation and so it gives a great deal of latitude.”

“It’s one of the things that really fascinated me about the challenge,” Howard said. “We love Roland the Gunslinger but we also like coming back to these worlds and these places. On one hand it is grounded and relatable but on the other hand it’s scary and strange and mind-blowing. There’s this dream quality to it and the mystery in that is what it’s all about – being compelled forward without all the answers.”

Howard Updates on Dark Tower Progress

Director Ron Howard provided a brief update on the Dark Tower series of movies and television shows that is in the works. The plan remains to turn the 7 books into the a trilogy with a TV series filming in the gaps between the films.

"It is going well, and it has been incredibly stimulating to work on," Howard said. "It's dense, a great author's life work is not to be taken lightly. It has been utterly fascinating to explore it, and we are having great creative conversations. I've begun tossing and turning at 3 in the morning over it, so that's a good sign."

It will be interesting to see what the results are as the books themselves don't really lend themselves to an easy adaptation, especially for a movie. I am especially curious to see how the ending of the epic is handled considering King's original ending essentially negated the entire journey that probably only Lit majors would love but most others would find unsatisfying.

The Dark Tower Trilogy, TV Series Planned

At one time JJ Abrams was a contender to take Stephen King's epic series and bring it to movies screens worldwide. Back in April, Abrams plans were dashed when Ron Howard and Brian Grazer took over the potential franchise. Since then nothing was heard. Finally it seems there is movement on the picture with an ambitious plan involving both the TV and movie divisions at Universal (which owns NBC).

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the overall goal is to take the seven books in the series, along with comics that fill out The Gunslingers life story and create a trilogy of films with a TV series that will act as bridges to each sequel. The first film will be directed by Ron Howard and written by Oscar winner Akiva Goldsman. The pair previously worked together on A Beautiful Mind, Angels & Demons, and The Da Vinci Code.

"I've been waiting for the right team to bring the characters and stories in these books to film and TV viewers around the world," King said. "Ron, Akiva, Brian along with Universal and NBC have a deep interest and passion for the 'The Dark Tower' series and I know that will translate into an intriguing series of films and TV shows that respect the origins and the characters in 'The Dark Tower' that fans have come to love."

Howard, Grazer and Goldsman plan first film in the trilogy to be immediately followed by a TV series that will bridge the second film. After the second film, the TV series will show the adventures of The Gunslinger as a young man as a bridge to the third film and beyond.

"The worlds of Stephen King's 'The Dark Tower' series are richly detailed, inter-locking and deeply connected," Goldsman said. "By telling this story across media platforms and over multiple hours--and with a view to telling it completely--we have our best chance of translating Roland's quest to reach 'The Dark Tower' onto screen. We are proceeding with tremendous excitement, fidelity to the source material and, quite frankly, no small amount of awe at this opportunity."

This seems like an incredibly ambitious plan for a series of books that is going to be very difficult to translate to film. It should be interesting to see if this plays out but I suspect that these initial plans will undergo multiple changes.