Stephen King’s ‘Dark Tower’ finally coming to film

[HMG] – In an act of avant-garde inspiration that almost excuses the creative vacuum that is Hollywood’s last decade, Ron Howard has now signed on to create a cross-media translation of one of Stephen King’s greatest works: The Dark Tower.

Ron, his production partner, Brian Grazer and the author are in talks to adapt King’s multi-faceted and perfectly drawn seven-volume fable as both a TV series, and a three-movie franchise. Akiva Goldsman [who wrote the screenplays for both 'The Da Vinci Code' and 'A Beautiful Mind'] has the herculean task of conversion and Ron will direct.

For those who aren’t sure, ‘The Dark Tower’ is Stephen’s response to ‘The Lord of the Rings.’ Begun in 1982, it tells the story of Roland Deschain, an enigmatic figure who exists in a world quite separate from ours, yet much the same. He is the only survivor of a secret order known as ‘Gunslingers,’ and is engaged in a quest to locate the Dark Tower, in which, according to legend he will find the singular key to both this and all other universes.

The tightly-drawn tale of flawless characters, fantastical landscapes and impossible challenges has legions of fans in every sentient nation – and the author has not even mentioned the chance of an ending. An eighth book is even in progress.

The series was once optioned for development by J.J. Abrams and the team who built ‘Lost.’ But they couldn’t cope with the sheer scale of the story, or an actual plot so that never gelled. But their loss was Universal’s big gain — Deadline says Akiva bought the rights to the series from King for just $19 up front.

There’s no date for release, or even a shortlist for the cast yet. But with a vast and guaranteed audience you can be sure Universal will keep us advised…