Warner Bros Climbing The Dark Tower?

It seems that The Dark Tower films might get resurrected after being assumed dead. The initial plan was three films paid for and released through Universal Pictures while two limited TV series would run on NBC or a sister network. However parent company Comcast balked at the proposed budget. A lower cost script and plan was attempted but that was also rejected by Comcast executives.

Since then producer Brian Grazer said HBO expressed interested in the TV show aspect of the plan but nothing seemed to being on the movie front. According to Deadline this has no changed as Warner Bros seem to be close to signing a deal to have Ron Howard direct the first film with Akiva Goldsman making a script polish to meet WB's, not Universal's, notes for the film. This would then give the TV series side to HBO.

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.

Dark Tower Heading to HBO?

The Dark Tower producer Brian Grazer has provided an update on the television side of their Dark Tower adaptation. The previous update indicated that they had cut the budget on the first film and provided a more appealing ending, suggesting they were not sure they could get the entire trilogy made. I went so far as to predict the television aspect was going to get dropped. It seems I was a bit premature as Glazer tells MTV that HBO has expressed interested in the television shows.

"We're going to do ['The Dark Tower'] with HBO," Grazer told us. "We'll do the TV with HBO, and we'll do the movie with… to be determined. We'll do it right." HBO has not confirmed this and until the movie aspect is handled, I doubt any agreement has been signed.

This could be good news on multiple fronts. HBO is owned by Warner Bros so this provides a studio that may at minimum provide distribution for the film but could step up and finance the film. It also means the television show will not be dumbed down for mass audience consumption but can retain a prestige (and violence) that has shown to be effective in The Walking Dead on AMC . Still a ways to go but things are moving forward at least.

Budget Cuts, New Ending Might Save The Dark Tower

Several months ago Comcast executives made the decision that Universal would no longer produce The Dark Tower movies and TV series after the costs were deemed too high. The decision was part of a collective series of decisions rolled out over months for all Comcast properties to scale down their budget to levels that the historically tight company find more acceptable. Decisions that will continue as Universal shifts from high budget films to smaller fair while non-reality TV series on NBC, SyFy, USA, etc discover shortened shelf lives with cancellation based on when actor contracts expire (due to corresponding rise in operating costs with renewals, see Eureka as example) rather than how well they are doing in ratings or return on investment.

It is because of this it might actually be good news that Universal took a pass on the series. Especially now that The Dark Tower producing team of Brian Grazer and Ron Howard with writer Akiva Goldsman might have come up with a cheaper draft that costs around $100 million while improving on the ending, according to an interview with Grazer to The Playlist.

“We found a way to cut out $45 million out of the budget without changing the scope and actually giving it a good ending,” Grazer said, suggesting a heavily re-worked approach. “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 decrease in cost might be an effort to get Comcast to bite again or make it easier to get outside financing for making the film. It remains unclear if the team has retained their ambitious plans of a movie, TV series, 2nd movie, TV series, final movie. I suspect the effort will be to make just one movie (thus push for "more satisfying ending") and its success will dictate if the trilogy will be completed. The accompanying TV series will probably be eventually abandoned regardless if the movie does well or not.

In short, there is hope for fans but don't get too excited. Movement on The Dark Tower will probably remain slow for at least another year, assuming it even moves past the script stage.

The Dark Tower Cancelled by Universal (Updated)

Despite Imagine Entertainment's efforts to reduce the cost of The Dark Tower trilogy and two TV series, it apparently wasn't enough. Deadline reports that NBC Universal passed on the adaptation due to the costs and the risks involved. No one is talking specifics but reading between the lines it is likely the executives for Comcast (Universal's corporate parent) stepped in and nixed the project.

The current theory is the studio decided to commit its budget to making Battleship and 47 Ronin. My theory is Comcast, whose bad reputation is well earned, likes to play things extremely safe and on the cheap as much as possible. The Dark Tower was going to be very expensive with no guarantees of success along with source material that isn't exactly movie friendly so the concerns are valid.

The main problem is that most studios loath to take "used" projects, especially ones as public at The Dark Tower. While it is possible it could be shopped to another studio, I suspect this will be the end of any hope of adaptation for at least a few years, if ever. I will keep the blog open for a while long just in case things change but to be blunt I don't have much hope.

Update: Stephen King spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the cancellation.

“I’m sorry Universal passed, but not really surprised. As a rule, they’ve been about smaller and less risky pix; maybe they feel it would be better to stick with those fast and furious racing boys. I bear them no ill will, and trust Ron Howard to get Roland and his friends before the camera somewhere else. He’s very committed to the project.”