Im delighted, and Im a little bit surprised.
Arcel will share screenwriting credit with Anders Thomas Jensen, Akiva Goldsman, and Jeff Pinkner.
That exact mix is so Stephen King.
Credit: Getty Images (2)
King says the movie will open with the first line from the first book.
Itshouldstart that way, he says.
Ive been pretty insistent about that.
But this first film willnotadapt the plot of the first book,The Gunslinger, published in 1982.
But thats just speculation.
More announcements are expected in the weeks ahead.
For now, Arcel is starting by introducing his hero and villain.
THE GUNSLINGER
For me, it just clicked.
Hes such a formidable man, says Arcel, who says hes been a fan of Elbas sinceThe Wire.
We discussed, who is this character?
We tried to figure out if we saw the same guy.
And we absolutely had all the same ideas and thoughts.
He had a unique vision for who Roland would be.
I thought, Thats my Roland.
Ol Clint was more of an inspiration point, however.
He wasnt Eastwood anymore.
He was just … Roland.
For me the character is still the character.
Its almost a Sergio Leone character, like the man with no name, King says.
He can be white or black, it makes no difference to me.
I think it opens all kind of exciting possibilities for the backstory.
Some fans are asking, understandably, What about the racial tension?
But as the story progresses that will be made clear, how well deal with all those things.
THE MAN IN BLACK
This is an especially tricky character, in more ways than one.
InThe Gunslinger, he was like the shark inJaws mostly unseen, although his menace permeated the story.
Hes a big part of Rolands past, and weaves into the story as the novels continue.
The movie will draw him further out of the shadows.
I never really thought of him, the author says.
But [in the movie] he becomes a character who isnt just a mirage that Roland is chasing.
The way things are set up, hes right there.
That shapeshifting quality is what drew Arcel to theDallas Buyers ClubOscar-winner.
Matthew is an incredible actor who can do anything.
Thats how I feel about Walter Padick.
He could do anything, the director says.
He has a very interesting way of seeing the world.
Hes someone Ive been having a lot of fun with.
There were a lot of people who had trouble with that concept at first, King says.
But little by little, people started to get on board with the idea.
Ron has been a huge supporter of this project from the very beginning.
I think the reason was his wife was crazy about the books, King says.
He came up to Maine, and we talked about it for a long time in the backyard.
We were actually playing catch.
Thats one reason for saving the earlier part of the narrative, depicting Rolands younger days.
But King says no way: Im too old.
For now,The Dark Toweris one movie, with only the possibility of more.
Other people have tried fantasy spectacle.
Youve got a great production team and Akiva Goldsman as the primary script writer.
The team is in place, so well hope for the best.
Thats called putting your faith in the ka-tet.
