Rumors have been circulating for quite some time about the film adaptation of Stephen King's DARK TOWER franchise that has been languishing in the seventh circle of production hell, but finally some concrete news has come! Sony Pictures and Media Rights Capital just closed the deal with Nikolaj Arcel, co-writer of the Swedish GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO flick, to direct THE DARK TOWER, the potential first film of a franchise.
Arcel will work with screenwriter Anders Thomas Jensen (IN A BETTER WORLD) on a rewrite of the previous draft by Akiva Goldsman and Jeff Pinkner:
THE DARK TOWER focuses on the first book in the series, The Gunslinger, establishing the relationship between Roland and young protege Jake Chambers.
Casting has yet to begin, but actors like Javier Bardem and Russel Crowe have been attached to the project in past incarnations. It'll be interesting to see if this new iteration goes anywhere, because Sony seems ready to go full steam ahead.
Maybe one of the reasons the franchise has had so much trouble getting off the ground is because it's so different from King's usual work, making it a very divisive property within his fandom. At any rate, Dark Tower fans will be pleased to hear that solid steps are being taken toward a healthy outcome. More on this as it progresses!