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J.J. Abrams May Not Adapt Dark Tower

The co-creator of Lost and director of Star Trek said that he is not "looking at" adapting Stephen King's epic tale of The Gunslinger.








Considering the hit-or-miss quality of the numerous Stephen King properties to be adapted for TV and film, fans were justifiably excited when it was announced this past summer that J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, co-creators of Lost, had purchased the rights--for only $19.00!--to produce a film based on King's epic masterpiece The Dark Tower.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the man who resurrected the languishing Star Trek franchise will be bringing The Gunslinger to the silver screen after all.

In a recent interview with MTV News, Abrams said:

"The Dark Tower thing is tricky. It's such an important piece of writing. The truth is that Damon and I are not looking at that right now."
9 Yes
1 No
Brent Sprecher
11/11/2009
MTV

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43 Comments

guy pearce for the lead..or stephen moyer....and alex proyas...should take this helm...
Anil Rickly - 11/11/2009, 8:33 AM
viggo mortensen IS Roland. its sad to hear that they aren't looking at making this right now. i have full faith that JJ could have done this justice. especially since he himself is a big fan!
CorndogBurglar - 11/11/2009, 8:39 AM
I only hope JJ changes his mind
cartercw15 - 11/11/2009, 8:39 AM
I hope J.J. is just busy and plans to get to it eventually. This is one Stephen King story that I had been looking forward to seeing adapted for the screen.

Brent Sprecher - 11/11/2009, 8:42 AM
I dont think JJ is the guy for this anyway :)
teabag - 11/11/2009, 8:42 AM
Damn, thats a shame if it comes true, still cant wait to see it though!!

LEEE777 - 11/11/2009, 8:43 AM
Id love a young Clint Directing this :)
teabag - 11/11/2009, 8:43 AM
@teabag: Why not? Did you not like Star Trek? Are you hoping for someone darker? I was thinking David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club) could make a mean cowboy apocalypse movie?
Brent Sprecher - 11/11/2009, 8:44 AM
@tea: Yeah, Clint is the man, but since we can't de-age him, who else would you like?
Brent Sprecher - 11/11/2009, 8:45 AM
Brent@ i loved Star Trek and Mi3...but im looking for a more (hate to say it) Mature eye on this one :)


Fincher would be an excellent choice Brent but i know its weird but id love to see Frank Darabont's take on this :)
teabag - 11/11/2009, 8:46 AM
LOL I was about to say Fincher
MultiPurposePoni - 11/11/2009, 8:52 AM
@tea: Oh, that's not a weird choice. Darabont is an excellent choice! I was surprised how good The Mist was. What an ending!
Brent Sprecher - 11/11/2009, 8:53 AM
What about Aronofsky?
MultiPurposePoni - 11/11/2009, 8:54 AM
@tea/Poni: Even though it looks like the film is scrapped--or, at least--waaaay down the road, what were your thoughts on the rumor that was going around a couple months ago about Josh Hartnett in talks for Roland?
Brent Sprecher - 11/11/2009, 8:56 AM
The only roles I've every liked Hartnett in were Lucky Number Sleven and 30 Days of Night. Even in Black Hawk Down I felt he was lacking. I'm not sold on him being about to pull off 'tough guy' yet.
MultiPurposePoni - 11/11/2009, 8:58 AM
@Poni: Hmm, no doubt Aronofsky is a brilliant filmmaker, but I don't know about him doing Dark Tower. Requiem for a Dream was visually engaging, but hard to watch (for me, anyway). The Foutain was also visually stunning (with no computer effects!), with a great cast, but confusing and, ultimately, disappointing for me. The Wrestler was all blood, sweat and tears and a great return vehicle for Mickey Rourke, but I wouldn't want to go through that again. So...I don't know, I guess. Maaaaybe?
Brent Sprecher - 11/11/2009, 9:00 AM
Yeah i second Multi's comment except i never liked him in Lucky Number Sleven..just 30 days ! Hell he was the worst part of Sin City.

Brent@ yeah Frank is an excellent Screen Writer too , im sure he could adapt this perfectly like he has with King before :)

Multi@ Aronofsky gives me the same vibe as Brent but id still take him over JJ on this :)
teabag - 11/11/2009, 9:04 AM
@Poni: As a soldier, I'm sure you're a little more critical of actors who play soldiers than others, but remember that Hartnett was still really young (23) when he made that movie. Both of the movies you liked him in were later, so at least he's improving. I think he can play "quiet tough" and both of your choices are good examples of this. He was also good in that brief scene in Sin City and in The Black Dahlia.

@tea: Really? Hartnett was perfect in Sin City! That scene is what sold Frank Miller on the idea of going ahead with a feature.
Brent Sprecher - 11/11/2009, 9:04 AM
@Brent: His voice is what kills it for me. I hate his voice, it never changes from one movie to the next. And the fact that he can't make a facial expression that doesn't involve squinting doesn't help.
MultiPurposePoni - 11/11/2009, 9:07 AM
J.J. Abrams is my top choice to direct The Avengersso if this news clears himup for that then I'm happy, lol!

I've read a pile of Stephen King books but this one I have'nt gotten around to yet...I think I'll pick it up after reading this though!
JoshW - 11/11/2009, 9:07 AM
Brent@ its a personal choice i suppose....the guy seems to swallow all life out of a scene,i wouldnt be able to distinguish his role in Sin City from anything else he's done... for me he needs to step up his game to be conciderd any kind of talent :P
teabag - 11/11/2009, 9:11 AM
@Poni: Hey, what's wrong with squinting? I look like a C.C. Beck Captain Marvel in most of my pictures!

@tea: Yeah, I guess so. I prefer to think his performances are subtle, but to each his own!
Brent Sprecher - 11/11/2009, 9:27 AM
Brent@ Thats the excuse i give the missis about Ron Jeremy lol :P
teabag - 11/11/2009, 9:33 AM
Ron Jeremy is one of my fraternity brothers :)
MultiPurposePoni - 11/11/2009, 9:35 AM
Yeah, all he said was not right now. So I'm sure they are still gonna do something with it. After the love letters I've read back and forth in the hollywood rags between JJ, Damon, and King, there's no way they're gonna pass on this. JJ has a ton on his plate and Damon has the last season of LOST to deal with. 2011-12 could be a different story though.
BillyBlack - 11/11/2009, 9:42 AM
He was one of my Maternity Nurses :P
teabag - 11/11/2009, 9:42 AM
Poni

Was that the I Cummin Pi fraternity? What's that secret handshake like?

BillyBlack - 11/11/2009, 9:45 AM
This one needs some love. So, I'm OK with putting this on the back burner. No rushing please. It needs to have an old school feel, so Abrams may not be the right person. (He's good though.) I like him for Ender's Game.

@CDB: I like your pick of Mortenson.
@Multi: I like your pick of Aronofsky. He's shown that he can do realistic, weird, sci-fi, and emotional stuff. He's, also, good with complex plots.
Upupandaway - 11/11/2009, 10:00 AM
well, i am extreemly pissed of, i was seriously hoping the wheels would be in motion by now................screw it, im gonna go get drunk before i get depressed!

i liked jj, but would like peter jackson,

as for roland , josh harnet, christian bale or viggo mortenson.

but i think christopher walken would make a great "man in black" or randall flagg if you are not sure whom im mean.
Rolanddeschain19 - 11/11/2009, 10:26 AM
BillyB--lol
Betty - 11/11/2009, 10:48 AM
@ upandaway, and everyone

yeah, viggo lives on a ranch and actually owns horses that he rides a lot. he's more a cowboy than ANYONE else in hollywood actually, lol. but he's got the look and he's a great actor!

@ josh

you NEED to read dark tower series of novels. all the other stephen kings books will make a LOT more sense if you do. you'll notice a lot of little things that link all his other books with the DT series. if you don't read DT, then stephen king doesn't really come off as such a brilliant writer. but after DT, you'll realize that he's created a rich world that rivals ieven tolkien's middle earth. and thats saying something!
CorndogBurglar - 11/11/2009, 11:02 AM
The dark tower series is amazing, I hope someone picks it up.
When I originally heard JJ was picking it up, I thought it was going to be a tv show to replace lost. I still think that would be a killer idea.
thwhtGuardian - 11/11/2009, 12:22 PM
Ok, Im ashamed to say that I still have not read these books. I just never seem to think of em when Im library bound. But by all accounts they are amazing and Im a King fan anyway(mostly). Shame this movie may not happen under Abrahms..although Im glad he is focusing on making the final season of Lost the best it can be..and since the last season was the best so far I have high hopes.

Aronofsky is one of my favorite directors. I agree that sometimes his movies are a hard watch..but sometimes thats a good thing. Too many safe directors out there for my liking. The Fountain was a masterpiece. I really think Jackman should have at least been nominated for everything going for his performance...and so should Rachel Weise(spl?).
RorMachine - 11/11/2009, 12:22 PM
the last few books won't translate to film/tv or any of that too well.....But to start this sucker up it would make a wicked series. Maybe they'll fire it up after Walking Dead slays on AMC....god I hope it slays.
Keven - 11/11/2009, 12:35 PM
Ror - LOST gets a hearty Fkn A... that's the butter that I put on my bread.

And I'm totally with you on The Fountain. A brilliant piece of film making that, regrettably, went largely unnoticed. The Wrestler didn't really knock my socks off. Mickey was awesome in it, but something was missing for me.

BillyBlack - 11/11/2009, 2:09 PM
@ ror and anyone who hasn't read the DT novels

go do it...like yesterday. i promise you won't be disappointed. and once you read the DT series, you'll want to start reading his other non-dark tower books to find connections. It, Insomnia, Salem's Lot, Talisman and Black House, The Stand, all his classics all take place on a different level of the Dark Tower. each level is a different reality. every book is connected, but you would never know it unless you read the DT! very cool!
CorndogBurglar - 11/11/2009, 5:32 PM
Yeah, the dark tower books are awesome. It's a shame that Abrams is backing out. Hopefully, upcoming movies like jonah hex, will show hollywood that western films are in fact popular. I've been waiting for too many years to see a dark tower movie.
supermarioworldE - 11/11/2009, 8:41 PM
@ supermario

thats the thing though, yeah roland is a cowboy, but DT is way more fantasy/sci-fi than western. its so far in the future that the world has been ravaged, so its post-apocalyptic too. but then again thats really only part of what you see.
CorndogBurglar - 11/11/2009, 8:55 PM



This is a fan vid I made.
Jojo Risin - 11/11/2009, 10:35 PM
@corndog

I thought someone might mention the sci-fi aspect, and you're right. Generally, these movies would be advertised as westerns though, so that people, who are not familiar with the dark tower, wont get unnerved by the many different aspects of it. I'm just waiting on the next big western, that could push producers and directors forward, to make these damn movies already. I love the dark tower series (and everything else written by Stephen King), and would like to see them on screen, once and for all.
supermarioworldE - 11/11/2009, 10:35 PM
@ supermario

i agree! but this would be a VERY tricky series to pull off. especially the last 2 books.
CorndogBurglar - 11/11/2009, 11:05 PM
i would just love to see 7 films

but also have two film s that run along next to them

waste lands could stick to the jounrey of roland and co but just before thats released have another film that runs along side it. which could be about jake and the haunted house.

and have a film just about pere cahalam story and have that made before wolves of calla.

so 9 films

wish full thinking i know
Rolanddeschain19 - 11/12/2009, 5:38 AM
Man, I gotta read those books already!!!
Bijous - 11/12/2009, 8:58 PM

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