Stephen King’s Version of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Can Be a TV Masterpiece – Let’s Pick Up the Pace

by

As a huge Stephen King fan, I’ve always thought of The Dark Tower as his take on The Lord of the Rings, and while I’m excited about the TV series, it’s been a slow burn getting it off the ground. It’s already been an amazing year for King adaptations – we’re getting It: Welcome to Derry on TV, and The Running Man and The Long Walk are hitting the big screen. But honestly, there are so many other King novels that deserve to be made into movies – stories with incredible cinematic potential that haven’t been fully explored yet.

Stephen King is a hugely popular author with many iconic novels like It, Salem’s Lot, The Stand, and Pet Sematary. He’s also one of the most frequently adapted writers in history, with lots of his stories becoming well-loved movies and TV shows. However, his epic Dark Tower series, known for its complexity and creativity, hasn’t had a truly successful adaptation. The 2017 film starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey attempted it, but critics disliked it – it only received a 16% rating on Rotten Tomatoes – and it strayed so far from the source material that it hardly felt like The Dark Tower at all.

Mike Flanagan’s ‘The Dark Tower’ is the Epic Fantasy Series We Need


Marvel Comics

In the introduction to the 2003 edition of The Gunslinger, the first book in his Dark Tower series, Stephen King explained how reading J.R.R. Tolkien inspired him to create a large-scale fantasy story. Seeing Sergio Leone’s film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly then gave him the final push to begin writing, leading him to blend the fantastical adventures of The Lord of the Rings with the feel of a classic Western. While it might not be his best work overall, The Gunslinger is his most ambitious, serving as a central point connecting all of his other stories and establishing the foundation for the entire Stephen King universe.

As a huge cinema fan, I honestly can’t believe we still haven’t gotten a proper Dark Tower adaptation. I know the 2017 film didn’t quite land, but this book series is perfect for today’s audiences. It’s a massive fantasy/sci-fi epic with incredibly detailed world-building – think Game of Thrones, but with a Stephen King twist. What’s really exciting is how it connects to other King stories, creating that shared universe feel we all loved with the MCU. And the best part? Mike Flanagan – yes, the Mike Flanagan – is now developing it as a series. It’s a dream come true!

I’m a huge fan of Mike Flanagan. Stephen King even playfully calls him ‘the King-whisperer’ because of how well he’s adapted stories like Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep, and The Life of Chuck. Honestly, I think he’s the perfect person for this project. In fact, he’s the only major writer in Hollywood I feel confident enough to handle such a complex story and make the tough choices needed to bring a huge, imaginative world to life on screen. He just gets it.

Mike Flanagan is a highly sought-after director with a busy schedule. He recently released the film The Life of Chuck and contributed a segment to the streaming anthology V/H/S/Beyond. He just finished filming his adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie in October 2025, and it’s expected to be released in 2026. While he was initially involved with a Clayface project for DC, he’s now focusing on The Exorcist after Carrie is completed. Considering his current workload, it will likely be several years before he begins work on The Dark Tower.

‘The Dark Tower’ is Much More Exciting Than ‘Carrie’ & ‘The Exorcist’


Sony Pictures Releasing

I’m confident Mike Flanagan will do a good job with his takes on Carrie and The Exorcist, but I’m not thrilled about these remakes. With so many reboots and sequels being made, I wish one of the most talented directors working today would focus on something new. While adaptations aren’t necessarily bad, Brian De Palma’s Carrie from 49 years ago is already perfect, and The Exorcist has never been better than William Friedkin’s 1973 classic – and I don’t think it ever will be, which is perfectly fine.

Adapting The Dark Tower isn’t new for Hollywood, but it’s different than simply restarting a franchise like Harry Potter. Unlike those reboots, a new take on The Dark Tower feels like a chance to do the story justice, similar to how HBO approached His Dark Materials. While remakes of films like Carrie and The Exorcist often feel unnecessary and uninspired, The Dark Tower deserves a fresh attempt. I’m hopeful Mike Flanagan will change my mind about other remakes, but right now, I’m much more enthusiastic about any news regarding The Dark Tower.

Read More

2025-11-06 20:03