Mike Flanagan is a lot of things including a gifted writer and supremely talented director. But above all else, Flanagan is a Stephen King fan.
The filmmaker, who directed both Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep, has made no secret of his die-hard love of King. He’s not just some fair-weather fan, either. He’s a true devotee, knowing the ins and outs of King’s work better than most. No one should ever doubt his King bona fides.
So it’s no surprise that Flanagan wants to tackle one of King’s biggest, trickiest works: The Dark Tower. Speaking with fellow King fanatic Mick Garris as part of this year’s virtual Fantasia Fest 2020, Flanagan revealed that adapting King’s epic book series is his biggest desire. Here’s the director’s quote:
"I’ve got the answer that most Stephen King fans are going to have. The Dark Tower is forever going to be the story I wish I could tell. That would be the Holy Grail. I mean, talk about an adaptation challenge… So many very talented people have poured so much time and heart and soul and blood, sweat and tears trying to crack that… That for me would be the one. I don’t know how that would happen, or if it could happen. That property, it’s daunting. Just to think about even taking first steps toward it."
Flanagan saying he wants to take on The Dark Tower is just cruel, honestly. He would be such a great fit for an adaptation of King’s wildest, grandest, most daunting work. He understands King’s writing, his universe, his characters, his horror. He would do such a faithful job.
So it’s cruel because he’s so perfect yet it’s so unlikely to happen. The movie adaptation of The Dark Tower really tainted the property for awhile, at least in terms of a big screen take on it. Recently, Amazon passed on a TV adaptation of the books from Walking Dead show runner Glen Mazzara. While it’s possible that Flanagan could become officially attached to The Dark Tower and it could find a home with a willing studio, that seems like a long road. It’s a lot of hoops to jump through. It just doesn’t feel like studios wants The Dark Tower as much as Mike Flanagan (or Glen Mazzara) does…at least at this time.
I would love Flanagan to bring King’s magnum opus to life but I think that it will be awhile before he — or anyone — has another shot at Roland the Gunslinger. But it may happen in time, Hollywood may come back around on The Dark Tower. You never know; Ka is a wheel, right?