Mike Flanagan has become Netflix‘s horror aficionado over the years. From The Haunting of Hill House to Midnight Mass, he’s had us watching the streaming service from behind our pillows for a while now. (And made us cry while doing it, too.)
But Mike Flanagan‘s newest project in the pipeline sounds like the thing of dreams, because he’s hoping to step once more into the world of Stephen King. To be honest, the work of a literary master being adapted by one of the newest and best horror series creators in recent years again sounds too good to be true.
At the Tribeca Film Festival, Flanagan confirmed that he had the rights to The Dark Tower book series, and was hoping to make something from it very soon.
“That’s the one I want to do the most,” Flanagan said. “I have the rights. We’re on strike. But I’m very optimistic that we’re on a great path with that, we have good partners, we can’t talk about it, but I think it’s going to happen. I can’t say for certain, but we look good. So I’m hoping that’s up there.”
Of course, the 2023 Writers Strike will put a hold on any adaptation plans for the time being, but that doesn’t mean we’re not optimistic. Flanagan has already said that he plans to adapt the works into a five season TV series, followed by not one, but two standalone horror movies.
In fact, according to Flanagan, he’s already written the pilot. And the best news? He loves it.
“The pilot script is one of my favorite things I’ve ever gotten to work on,” Flanagan confirmed. “It’s been surreal working on that. So we’ve been floored and grateful that Stephen King trusts us with such an undertaking, something so precious to him, and we hope to find the right partners to realize it.”
King fans will already be aware of the existing adaptation of The Dark Tower which came out in 2017 and starred Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey. However, it wound up a flop, both financially and critically. (Here’s hoping Flanagan can pull it off any degree better.)
Of course, it’s not the first time Flanagan has taken on a King tale. He previously adapted Gerald’s Game in 2017, and The Shining sequel, Doctor Sleep, in 2019.
But The Dark Tower is a story far more complex than his other Stephen King outings. Essentially, it’s a science-fiction adventure, following Roland Deschain, the world’s last gunslinger, as he ventures across a post-apocalyptic landscape to search for The Dark Tower, which is basically the nexus of time and space. …Good luck, Flanagan.
If you love the King, check out our The Boogeyman review, and everything we know about the Welcome to Derry release date. You can also see The Boogeyman ending explained, and check out our list of the best ghost movies to watch now. Don’t forget about all the new movies coming out this year, as well as our list of the best movies of all time.