Despite Universal Studios passing on producer Brian Glazer, Ron Howard and Akiva Goldsman’s epic plans for adapting Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, the trio are still determined to get the project made. Today, NY Post gossip column Page Six quoted Glazer as stating “[We’re] trying to get outside financing to make it, and distribute it through a major [studio].”
Glazer and Howard’s Imagine Entertainment’s plans for The Dark Tower call for the book to be adapted as three films with two television series bridging parts 1 and two and parts two and three. Universal cautiously only wanted to give a greenlight to just a first film while Imagine was hoping that the studio would give the go-ahead forthe first film and television series.
Interestingly, Glazer is also paraphrased as stating that “they also planned to go ahead with the TV spin-offs of the horror Western fantasies, but through other networks or even Netflix.”
Netflix has been looking to expand its available streaming content with original programming, and two Dark Tower tie-in series would definitely be a way to attract lots of attention, and hopefully, subscribers. But Netflix is currently in the process of spending lots of money over the next couple of years as its various contracts with studios to allow streaming of their films come up for renewals. These were relatively inexpensive deals last time around when streaming was a fairly unknown quantity. However, since its popularity has skyrocketed, studios will now be charging more for the rights for Netflix to continue.
In the meantime, Howard goes into production soon on his Formula One race movie Rush, leaving Grazer some more time to try and find the financing needed to bring The Dark Tower to film.
