Exclusive: The Dark Tower: Mike Flanagan would love to take a shot at adapting the Stephen King classic

Last Updated on October 10, 2022

One of pop culture’s newest masters of horror, Mike Flanagan, is about to have his new series, The Mightnight Club, unleashed on Netflix. Drawing inspiration and its title from the 1994 novel by Christopher Pike, this ten-episode series was created by Flanagan and Leah Fong. They also serve as executive producers alongside Trevor Macy, Julia Bicknell, and Christopher Pike. The series debuts on Netflix on October 7, but The Midnight Club isn’t the only piece of classic horror literature on Flanagan’s mind.

Speaking exclusively with Flanagan and producer Trevor Macy via Zoom about The Midnight Club, JoBlo’s Alex Maidy pointed out a Dark Tower Easter egg in the series. After confirming the nod to the Stephen King classic series of novels, Alex asked if there were any chance the duo would adapt King’s epic tale for a series or film. Flanagan replied by saying The Dark Tower is “1000% a dream project.”

While the will is strong, Flanagan also recognizes that The Dark Tower is a “development and rights nightmare.” However, He says they are “going to keep pushing to try and make it happen until someone stops them.”

Set in a world of ominous landscape and macabre menace, The Dark Tower series features one of Stephen King’s most powerful creations—The Gunslinger—a haunting figure who embodies the qualities of the lone hero through the ages, from ancient myth to Western frontier legend. As Roland crosses a desert of damnation in a treacherous world that is a twisted image of our own, he moves ever closer to the Dark Tower of his dreams—and nightmares.

A feature-length adaptation of The Dark Tower starring Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, and Tom Taylor hit theaters in 2017. The film received negative reviews from critics and fans, saying it was a watered-down representation of the original story. Additionally, Amazon once shot a pilot for a Dark Tower series but felt it wasn’t up to par with projects like The Wheel of Time or The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Developed by Glen Mazzara, Akiva Goldsman, and King, the series would have been a more faithful retelling of the novels.

What do you think about Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy tackling Stephen King’s The Dark Tower? Should someone sort out the rights-related nightmare and give the duo the keys to the kingdom? Let us know what you think in the comments.