Acclaimed rising filmmaker Mike Flanagan has become something of a go-to guy for Stephen King adaptations.
Following acclaim for his Netflix film adaptation of King’s “Gerald’s Game,” reviews were similarly strong for his theatrically released film adaptation of “Doctor Sleep” with Flanagan tackling the minefield of that “The Shining” sequel and coming out the other end not just intact but celebrated.
Speaking to SYFY Wire recently whilst doing early promotion for his “The Haunting of Bly Manor” series, he reveals that the Stephen King adaptation he hopes the most to bring to the screen (in one form or another) is King’s “The Dark Tower” saga:
“The Dark Tower is forever going to be the story I wish I could tell. That would be the Holy Grail. I mean, talk about an adaptation challenge. So many very talented people have poured so much time and heart and soul and blood, sweat, and tears trying to crack that.”
Considered King’s magnum opus, the series has had a troubled history in terms of screen adaptations. Ron Howard and Brian Grazer spearheaded a planned film-and-TV combo version which collapsed before ultimately a cost-effective standalone film that worked as a kind of sequel to the books.
It was produced in 2017 starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey and bombed both critically and commercially. More recently an attempt was made by Amazon to turn it into a major event series with Sam Strike taking on the role of Roland Deschain, but that version was abandoned in development.