The Dark Tower TV/Movie

I recently heard that Ron Howard will be directing the first movie and first season of the Dark Tower.  Apparently they want to do a trilogy of movies and also a television series.  Remember how I talked about this before?  Well I am going to discuss it some more.

I do not know how I feel about Ron Howard involved and I wonder if J.J. Abrams is still involved.  Fortunately, all these people seem to be huge fans.  From what it sounds like, NBC will be doing the show.  That could be bad, Heroes is a good example of the quality of programming on NBC.

I think a good idea would be to tell the story through Jake’s eyes.  That way the audience can grow with Jake and always see Roland as the mysterious character that he is.  How could the movies be split up?  I think the first movie has to be The Gunslinger.  We meet Roland, Jake, and the Man in Black.  I think every episode should start with the great line “The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed.”

The first movie would end with Roland waking up on the beach and hearing the sound of the lobstrosity: dodda-chock.  Then, the first season becomes The Drawing of the Three.  You end the season with Jake waking up in his bed and thinking that he died.

The second season would then be about Jake coming through.  I want to say that the part where the house is trying to eat Jake, is one of the scariest scenes in a book.  My heart was racing the first time I read it.  The season ends with Jake being taken by Gasher.

Start the second movie, Roland and Oy pursue Jake and Gasher.  Then they encounter Blaine.  That should be two-thirds of the movie.  The last third would be the walk towards the Emerald City.  The second movie would end with the showdown with the Man in Black, who flees after Roland pulls the Ruger on him.  The ka-tet would sit down and decide to palaver.

That is what the third season of the show would be about.  Roland’s youth and his time in Mejis/Hambry.  This does not need to take up the entire season.  The last few episodes would focus on the ka-tet making their way to the Calla.

The fourth season would be the entire Wolves of the Calla story.  Plenty of time travel and lots of set changes.  This would be such a difficult thing to film.  The show would need a massive budget.  Or does it?  I bet you could film a good portion of this in California.  Southern parts for the Calla, then head north to make it seem like Maine…

This is where I have problems.  Should they do a fifth season and then the third movie or the other way around?  Do you do the final movie without Eddie and Jake?  Are they dead by now?  Such a tough decision.  Anyways, if any TV/movie execs are reading this, I am willing to be part of the team.