Ron Howard talks Dark Tower delays, Javier Bardem not a sure thing

I have a sinking, or joyous feeling, I’m not sure which, that THE DARK TOWER is going to be one of the projects sent to burn in development hell for eternity. The scope is too massive to be executed cost-effectively, the idea is too bizarre to have mainstream appeal, and those handling it don’t seem particularly suited for the job.

The man I’m referencing is Ron Howard, who is of course a capable director, but I never saw him as a fit for this project. But despite my, and Hollywood’s, pessimism, he maintains THE DARK TOWER uber-project is marching on. He recently spoke to EW about the ongoing saga.

“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. 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.”

Everyone, including us, reported a few weeks back that Bardem had officially signed on for the part, so it seems strange that the director is claiming he “can’t say who will be in it yet” and that Bardem has merely shown “interest.” He continues:

“There are elements of the Dark Tower saga that are more personal and can be best dealt with on television. TV allows you to roll out details of the characters in a more methodical way.”

Now THIS contradicts previous reports that the TV mini-series segments would be scrapped for budget concerns, and they would have to be content with a few films. Or even just one film and seeing how it did at the box office, which for as many Dark Tower fans are out there, I can’t see this pulling in tons of cash, especially not enough to bankroll three films and a TV series set in a fantastical realm.

Should they just give up the hunt, or is there a way to make this work?