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These books are so confusing sounding

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They aren't confusing so much as there's really no way of explaining them, at least not without giving too much away. If you're curious, I'll expound. I just don't want to spoil anything.

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I've never read any King. It sounds like I'd need to be familiar with some of his works.

And even though they sound confusing, I'm pretty sure I'd love them from what I can gather about them. It's just kind of a daunting commitment at this point.

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You know how to eat an elephant?

*****probably book spoilers******







That article has me excited, confused, and worried all at once. Give me that cast, the first book, and a spaghetti western, very little dialogue kind of film and I would be PUMPED.

On the other hand, doing Wastelands first? In my opinion, The Wastelands is the best book King has ever written. A lot of people haven't read it because it's the middle section of this epic 10,000 page story that they don't want to commit to. But that's the same problem with starting the movie there. Also, what exactly would Matthew McConaughey be doing in that movie? Is book one just going to be flashbacks? They have to do the scene from book one with Jake.....

If they want it mostly set our universe they should do drawing of the three as the first movie. It's an origin story that could set up the other movies.







********end spoilers******






I kind of dig Idris Elba as Roland. He's definitely got the grizzled look.

They cant's start with The Wastelands for any number of reasons, but I do think they could combine The Gunslinger and Drawing of the Three into one movie without many problems.

Maybe they try to tell the beginning of the story through Jake's perspective instead of Roland's.

i just can't picture how Roland can be played by anyone other than Clint Eastwood.

If they were gonna then they shoulda already done it.

So are they going to just drop all the race stuff now?

I like Idris Elba a lot, he is an amazing actor...it just doesn't make sense.

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Who is Detta/Odetta going to call a honky mah fah now that Idris Elba is Roland?

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I guess there is always Eddie Dean (at least until she becomes fond of him).

Speaking of which, I nominate Aaron Paul

Far too big a deal being made about the race stuff.

Was it a big part of the story? Well, one of the 7, yes.

Was it a a significant part of the story? Nothing that couldn't just be altered to be a woman completely distrusting of a guy that pulled her through a magic door into a new universe.

Considering half the stuff Detta said would have been toned down anyway, and you weren't going to have an hour of dialogue taken up by "N%$@$#@ this" and "N@#@$ that", it's really not that big a deal... Pretty low down on the list of things that this movie needs to get right.

Much like most of you I'm not very optimistic that a story of this caliber can be brought to the big screen, but Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey just signed on to anchor this film... Ignoring your opinion on either of their acting chops, those are two BIG names, which shows at the very least the studio is taking this thing seriously.

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Who is Detta/Odetta going to call a honky mah fah now that Idris Elba is Roland?

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Hahaha are you serious? You know they are going to make her a white woman who is racist, just watch.

The end product of this is going to be a Dark Tower movie in name only. See the most recent I Am Legend for an example of what this type of *******ization of the source material may look like.

Is that referencing another book?

Not sure if anyone has seen it yet, but they released a picture the other day of Elba. I haven't read the book, but I'm in.

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Is that referencing another book?

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Posting a book spoiler below.....





























































[SPOILER BUMPER]



































I think it means that these movies are intended to close the loop for the constant readers. I'm now hoping it opens on the Man in Black fleeing across the desert, and the Gunslinger picking up the Horn of Eld from the dirt before following. In other words, no reset at the end of the series.



































[POST SPOILER BUFFER]



















































End post.

I keep seeing posts about Elba not being a good because he doesn't match physically. Did Tom Cruise match the physical nature of Jack Reacher? That movie was pretty good too.

That would be an interesting take, and would probably be better for movie audiences.

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I keep seeing posts about Elba not being a good because he doesn't match physically. Did Tom Cruise match the physical nature of Jack Reacher? That movie was pretty good too.

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Which would be fine if race and racism didn't actually play a significant part of the storyline.

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I keep seeing posts about Elba not being a good because he doesn't match physically. Did Tom Cruise match the physical nature of Jack Reacher? That movie was pretty good too.

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Which would be fine if race and racism didn't actually play a significant part of the storyline.

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I think people are exaggerating how much the race thing really matters. It was a significant part of just 1 of the 7 books (Drawing of the Three), and it only really existed to reflect the hate, anger and lack of trust Detta had towards white people (which happen to make up the rest of the ka-tet).

While it worked very well in that regard, it's not something that can't be established via some other background story -- it just has to be a story that would create a reason for her character to hate the other characters initially.

By The Wastelands (Book 3), it's not even a significant part of the story anymore.

Thanks MW

I will say, while I wish they had gone another way, Elba has killed it in every role I have seen him in. So if he thinks he can do this, I am psyched.

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That would be an interesting take, and would probably be better for movie audiences.

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It would also give them a good excuse to re-do the last three books so that the whole thing doesn't go to such a steaming pile of junk....

amercer is such a Sheemie.

Nothing else matters by Metallica, get someone to do a cover to make it sound more appropriate. Ever since I read the books it always felt like the perfect song for Roland.

Latest Entertainment Weekly on the Dark Tower...

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/07/14/dark-tower-ew-cover-stephen-king

Is that Matthew McConaughey doing Derek Zoolander?

Trying to temper my expectations, but excited to see what they wind up putting together. Don't like that they've abandoned trying to actually follow the novels, but I guess the reality is a series like this wasn't going to get the full Lord-of-the-Rings-esque treatment since it's unknown what kind of audience it's going to have... So I guess I'll just be content that they have a competent cast and director.

Your monthly update...

• Sony is doing an old school TDK viral marketing campaign, only this time with apps.

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Last week, Sony went hog wild by unleashing all sorts of photos, interviews, and details surrounding their highly anticipated adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower.

Now, they're conjuring up some black magic with a little viral marketing, specifically a new app. Registered under The Sombra Group, the villainous corporation that serves the Crimson King, the new app allows users to find secrets on certain franchise-related surfaces. For instance, we tried it on the new Entertainment Weekly cover and look what happened

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• A couple of new websites have sprouted up:

Big Coffin Hunters
North Central Positronics LTD
Tet Corporation

• Someone supposedly found Richard Sayre's business card in a Barnes and Noble....in Kansas

Give the number a call if you are so inclined...

• In between stops in Kansas, Mr. Sayre found time to start a facebook page.

Looks pretty innocuous. Yale grad. Okay. But posts from 1966? And the background image? That's a restaurant at the corner of 2nd Ave and 46th St in Midtown, NYC. Constant readers might remember what stands there in the DT Universe: Tom and Jerry's Artistic Deli...

• And last but not least, this beauty

https://instagr.am/p/BJSopsSj2nF

You King readers have no idea how head scratching it is whenever I get information on this story

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You King readers have no idea how head scratching it is whenever I get information on this story

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Yeah. It's....convoluted. Even so, I'm a super fan to the point that I'd probably get a Dark Tower tattoo if I didn't think it would make me a boner of the highest order.

So I should probably be prepared to be supremely disappointed, but I'm a glutton for punishment. See, e.g., my Ag Tag.

I like the marketing.

I take back what I previously said about Elba being no Roland. Maybe not my first choice, but I am more excited for Elba as Roland than MM as Walter.

Looks like Wizard and Glass will be the companion TV show in 2018.

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MRC and Sony Pictures, which is releasing the film, have committed not just to financing a pilot but a full run of between 10 and 13 episodes, depending on how the scripts and story arcs develop. The Dark Tower show will begin shooting in 2017 with plans to premiere it in 2018, ideally around the time the film becomes available on cable or streaming services.

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Who plays young Roland?

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"In the movie, Roland is suffering tremendous loss. The most concrete, personal, existential heartbreak a character can have," Goldsman says. "If the movie chronicles his final reach toward hope again, the TV show is the loss of that hope."

. . .

Goldsman says The Dark Tower TV series will be a more straightforward adaptation. "This one has much more fidelity to the story as King wrote it," Goldsman says.

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Wizard and Glass is such a great story within the larger story. I think it sets up perfectly for a TV/Netflix series independent of whether the movie sucks or not. And if they intend to follow the books closely... Stoked.