Exactly. The series overall was a disappointment.
My only issue is I read book three first and none of the rest were as immediate or interesting. Naturally I went back to the first book and while it was good, it was also really dry in comparison (literally). Book two wasn’t bad despite his literary macguffin, and book four was great but – again – we know that Roland survives more or less unscathed so it was just a well written distraction that could have been a little less abrupt. Then the series completely fell off a cliff.
I don’t know that I’m disappointed, though. I never expected Stephen King to write anything as engaging as The Wastelands.
As far as Wizard and Glass goes, that really took me out of things too. When I was first reading the series and got to that book, I stopped. I didn’t finish it for a at least a year or two. Eventually I resigned to the fact that I had to read it, because I really wanted to know what happened with the rest of the “present day” story. I went back to the beginning (The Gunslinger), and read all the way up to that point, and finally finished Wizard and Glass, along with the rest of the series. I ended up really enjoying the flashback story this second time. I agree with most people that it’s one of King’s best stories. But I really hate how much it took me (us?) out of the main, present day story to tell it.
If they make the tv show all the backstory stuff (all the comics stuff), and the movie trilogy all the rest, I think it could work. I have my doubts about Ron Howard, and even moreso Akiva Goldsman, but who knows.
I think the first and second books could potentially be made into one film. However, I can’t see it working with the normal three-act structure of most films. We have to really care about the stuff that happens with Roland and Jake (they could probably skip Tull altogether). It’s extremely important for the entire series, so they have to spend time with that and do it properly. That includes the oracle. The meeting with the Man in Black could be potentially short (it was fairly short in the book even), and then everything with the doors and Eddie and Susannah (and the pusher guy) in the rest of the film. It could potentially work, but as I said, it wouldn’t have a traditional three-act structure and might be a bit weird in that sense.
Tried and failed, as far as I know. Lindelof and Cuse (The Guys Who Are Lost, essentially) were working on adapting it and the last I heard they had given up.
It derailed in book 5 and 6, but I thought book 7 and the ending made sense, sans self-referential parts.
My main complaint with the series is that Roland and TickTock never had a duel. :)
H.
Gah! You can’t take out Tull! He kills an entire fucking town. That’s still the most badass part of the whole series!
H.
Okay, here’s an update:
[
Universal announced today that it has acquired the rights to produce three films and an NBC series based on the seven novels, short stories and comic books from Stephen King’s [I]The Dark Tower[/I]. Ron Howard will direct the first film and the first season of the TV show, which will be written by Akiva Goldsman ([I]The Da Vinci Code).[/I]
Holy fuck…Ron Howard?!
I just threw up in my mouth a bit.
Howard and Glazer have been involved for some time. Old news.
As for this new approach, I’m having a hard time figuring out how this would work. Among many other issues, how do you divide the story between a two hour movie, a 20 hour or so TV season, another 2 hour movie, another 20 or so hour TV season, and then a final movie?
written by Akiva Goldsman
The movies either better A) stand on their own, or B) come out after the associated tv season is available on Netflix.
I already know I’m probably not going to like anything that makes it to the screen, but I can’t say I won’t try.
It’s the Fuck You Ferris Wheel!
Are you upset that they’re not going to be true to the original?
Howard and Goldsman have made money together numerous times, and this is hardly an LOTR scale property.
What’s the issue here?
Because, though I liked Night Shift, Splash, and Apollo 13, I don’t think the guy who gave us the hideous Grinch and is best known for feel good movies is up to the awesomeness that is the Gunslinger? Can Opie do the Tull slaughter scene and sex with a demon satisfyingly?
What Khoram said. Howard hasn’t made a good film in 15 years (IMO), and Akiva Goldsman is arguably the worst mainstream screenwriter working today. And you’re wrong, The Dark Tower is absolutely LotR scale in terms of the story and how it should be approached. These are not the people to handle this property, and my expectations are below rock bottom at this point. It’s a tremendous shame, because The Dark Tower is a great story that deserves a great adaptation to film.
I thought it was universally assumed that King wrecked the series in the end.
I didn’t realize there actually were Gunslinger nerds.
What do you call yourselves?
Gunslingers, of course.
I don’t know if the fanbase actually has a collective name. Towerds? Father Face Rememberers?
I thought the ending was quite good, really. I only read the full series this year, so maybe I was too removed from the “OMG FINALLY” hype to be disappointed. I simply read it and liked what I read.
I thought it was universally assumed that King wrecked the series in the end.
I didn’t realize there actually were Gunslinger nerds.
What do you call yourselves?