Friday, September 10, 2010

Tower Power

In this day and age (21st Century, no less) we think we have "seen it all."
But here's something unprecedented.
I especially like it because it has to do with novels.

When it comes to adapting a narrative book into the moving picture medium there's generally a choice between making a film or a TV mini-series.  Sure, there are variants such as making a book into two films, or producing a regular series out of it.  I've often expressed that I think Peter and Wendy would work best as a mini-series.  And truth be told, I think my What If It's a Trick Question? lends itself better to episodic television, just given the nature of the piece.

So what's this about unprecedented?

Stephen King's popular series The Dark Tower is being brought to the screen.  So?  How about...BOTH.  Yep, both the big silver screen and the "small screen" of TV (which is kind of a weird term nowadays given the size of many TVs).  After much debate and stops and starts on how best to handle King's epic as a "movie" they eventually came up with a solution.

It will first appear as a film, with theatrical release.  It will then come to television (with the same actors from the movie) and continue on for a while as a series/show.  It will next (contiguously) move back into another film (theater) and... you get the idea.  It will be three movies, with a television series (as part of the the continuing saga) as bridges between the flicks.

I can't say (who can?) how well it will work or turn out... but nevertheless, it is highly intriguing.  And at any rate, historic.
Ron Howard will be directing.

I will shamefully admit that I have not gotten around to reading The Dark Tower.  But I probably will now that it's going to be adapted so "never before seen"ly.  Besides, my fan Anon adores the series and (if I recall correctly) compared WIIaTQuestion? in terms of 'epicness' (to some degree).  I should probably read it, then, no?

4 comments:

Anon said...

Well, certainly they're similarly complex in terms of their mythologies! XD Not to mention that the characters feel similarly "real", and not just like characters in a story--such that you really get involved with what's going on.

If you do read the series, I hope you enjoy it--it's my favorite work by Stephen King, and I've read dozens of his works!

Peter Von Brown said...

Anon -

Okay, so I'm not entirely crazy (at least in that sense.) I meant "complex," yes.

I'm curious about your feelings on the adaptation.

Anon said...

I think it's a risk all-around, but I hope they're up to the task because I'm really curious to see how they would attempt the adaptation of a singular narrative that is not only so long and complex but also so LITERARY. (You'll see what I mean about that if you read it.)

Nothing's going to ruin my experience of the books, but I just hope they at least do their utmost to be faithful to the spirit of the series (since being faithful to the letter is impossible in a screen adaptation). I also hope that they finish what they start, as Stephen King himself did.

Anon said...

If they do finish, and do give it all they've got, I hope it's a success, because if nothing else this ought to introduce the story to a wider audience, which I feel the story deserves.