One of the trickiest roles to cast in an adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower is that of Jake Chambers, the young boy who meets Roland Deschain during his journey in the first novel and becomes a key figure in the gunslinger’s story — not just once, but twice. He’s an incredibly vital member of the story, but given his age (11), the length of the series, and the impossibility of keeping a kid from growing up, Jake is easily the most difficult role to fill. But director Nikolaj Arcel has done it anyway, casting a relative newcomer in the long-awaited adaptation.
A few years ago, former Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul tweeted that playing Eddie Dean in an adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower was a “huge” dream of his. It looks like he might get his wish, as the actor is rumored for the role of Eddie in Nikolaj Arcel’s film based on the epic fantasy book series. Although the casting remains a rumor (for now) Paul’s tweets are really getting our hopes up.
The Dark Tower opening in January felt like a bad sign, given that the first month of the year is typically a dumping ground for less-promising films. Inspiring a healthy bit of optimism, Sony has pushed the release back a month to February 2017, while also shifting dates for similarly long-gestating films Bad Boys 3 and Barbie — the latter of which remains without a director, so we’ll see how long that release date sticks.
While Cary Fukunaga’s adaptation of Stephen King’s sprawling horror epic It has now joined the list of great films that might have been, New Line hasn’t entirely ditched the plans set out by the former True Detective director. The studio is still planning on adapting the novel into two films, with the first focusing on the characters as children and the second following them as adults. And though we still mourn what Fukunaga’s version could have been, take solace in knowing that New Line is at least targeting an R rating.
And in other Stephen King news…The Dark Tower isn’t the only ambitious and sprawling adaptation that’s been in development for ages. A film based on King’s post-apocalyptic epic The Stand has also been in the works for some time, with The Fault in Our Stars director (and King super-fan) Josh Boone on board to write and direct, and while Warner Bros. and Boone were close to figuring out the best approach for the project, the rights lapsed and Boone moved on to another King adaptation: Revival. The Stand may not be dead (yet), but it is definitely on hold, according to producer Roy Lee.
We’re closer than ever to Stephen Colbert’s Late Show debut on September 8, and while George Clooney’s guest appearance gave a marquee head start, the full guest list for Colbert’s full week offers a much clearer view of the new series. Everyone from Jeb Bush to Elon Musk and Amy Schumer will fill out the ranks, with musical guests on deck as well.
Cary Fukunaga’s adaptation of Stephen King’s It is one seriously ambitious project, and given the massive size and the generation-spanning scope of the novel, it’s hardly surprising (and even something of a relief) that he’s splitting the story into two films. Fukunaga has a lot of work ahead of him, but most challenging will be the casting of Pennywise the clown, the terrifying entity made famous by Tim Curry in the ‘90s miniseries adaptation. Rest assured that Fukunaga isn’t taking that casting lightly.
Stephen King’s ‘It’ is a beast of a book. Over its 1,000-plus pages, the novel follows a group of close-knit friends who do battle with a malevolent, child-killing force in their youth, only to reunite decades later to finish the job. It’s a messy, ambitious and insanely (perversely, even) detailed work. It feels unadaptable. But no one tell that to ‘True Detective’ director Cary Fukunaga, whose long-gestating adaptation is finally going before cameras next summer.
There's always plenty of Stephen King adaptations in the works, but here's one based on a story you might not be as familiar with -- and as a bonus, King himself wrote the screenplay. 'A Good Marriage' appears to examine a marriage through King's grisly lens, and the suburbs are looking pretty deadly.
We didn't bother keeping up with CBS' Stephen King drama, 'Under the Dome,' in its initial 2013 run, given how far-fetched the sci-fi story quickly became, but will the people of Chester's Mill have a brighter day in season 2? CBS has officially set a premiere for Dean Norris and co. to return, along with a date for Stephen Spielberg-Halle Berry drama 'Extant.'
Check Johnny Depp off the list of people you never thought you would meet. It's gotta be hard being a celebrity (although I am sure the buckets of money are close to fair compensation).