Summary
Stephen King’sThe Dark Towerseries can easily be considered his magnum opus. It’s and eight book adventure that traverses worlds, giving readers a glimpse of his other works and a hint of what goes on in his mind. It’s also the most challenging work of his to adapt for either the big or little screen. Some of the most talented filmmakers have tried. Now Mike Flanagan is taking a stab at it. Perhaps since the last three letters of his surname spell out the all-powerful cosmic being (Gan) in King’s universe, he’ll have a better shot.
It’s not so much that there are a lot of characters or non-linear storytelling at times that make it a challenging adaptation, it’s that the series has a lot of absolutely bizarre elements. There’s a hodgepodge of technology, reality-altering magic, doors along a beach, some of the most twisted creatures to come from King’s mind, animatronic guardians, and so much more. While it might be difficult to adapt, it would make for an intriguing cinematic experience that’s different from what viewers are accustomed to in this age where studios are reluctant to take risks. And if anyone can be successful with this adaptation, it would beMike Flanagan.
Making Deals with Demons Requires More Than Talking
There are a couple of instances where Roland has to communicate with a demon to get information and move along with his journey. More than that, he has to make a deal or two with these demons and that’s not as easy as negotiating and signing a contract. Anyone who has watchedSupernaturalwitnessed Dean and Sam Winchester make their own fair share of deals with demons at the crossroads. Stephen King doesn’t make it so easy.
No, instead Roland or whoever is doing the negotiating has to mate with the demon. That’s how they do business. That’s not even the weirdest part of thiseight book series. One of the demons Roland mates with holds onto his…. seed, for lack of a better term. Later on in the series, Susannah does some “negotiating” of her own and it ends up being with the same demon albeit with a different appearance.
This demon uses Roland’s “donation” –along with the Crimson King’s seed, as well–to fertilize Susannah’s egg, impregnating her with an abomination. This child ends up playing a significant role later on in the series. What might a half-human, half-demon child look like in Stephen King’s mind? Mordred Deschain, as he comes to be known, can appear human, but can also transform into an arachnid, which he uses to devour prey.
King References his Other Works
The Dark Towerbooksare Stephen King’s magnum opus and no opus is complete without some reference, subtle or otherwise, to the creator’s previous works. One significant referenceThe Standfans will notice comes after the Ka-Tet escape Blaine the Mono and find a newspaper headline that mentions Captain Tripps by name. For the uninitiated, Captain Tripps is the virus that ravages the world inThe Stand.This would be an easy reference to incorporate into aDark Toweradaptation since none of the characters from that old tome show up inThe Dark Tower.
However, the man in black, who Roland chases across the desert, is none other than Randall Flagg, the big antagonist inThe Stand. There have been a couple adaptations of that novel with the most recent putting fan-favorite Alexander Skarsgard in the role. He would not be the worst actor to return to the role for aDark Toweradaptation. King also brings backFather Callahan fromSalem’s Lotand he plays a major role in book five,The Wolves of Calla.
Those are hardly the only references and King doesn’t stop with his own creations. He throws the Ka-Tet into the Emerald City of Oz at one point and makes it very clear that King Arthur and his mythos is a major influence on this world. Dresden and the gunslingers are knights from Gilead, after all. Dresden descends from the Arthur Eld line. Arthur being King Arthur, naturally.
There are Movie Props Everywhere
Once the series gets toWolves of the Calla, the metaphorical train is off the rails. Not only does Salem’s Lot’s Father Callahan appear, but props from some of the most popular movies make it into the novel. It’s not just that these objects vaguely resemble iconic movie props, their names are dangerously similar and one or two characters specifically refer to them as weapons from one of the movies. For starters, the cybernetic “wolves"use lightsabers. Yes, the weapon of the Jedi makes an appearance in Stephen King’s opus and are used against the heroes and the people they’re trying to protect.
Harry Potterfans will recognize the self-propelled homing bombs that the “wolves” use as golden the snitch from thewizarding game of Quidditch. King included this item (which he calls sneetches) as a nod to Rowling, who he once supported. They’re even complete with the serial number “465-11-AA HPJKR.” HPJKR stadning for “Harry Potter J.K. Rowling.”
Technology is all over the place
IsThe Dark Towera western? Yes. Is it alsoa fantasy story? In a sense, yes. A lot of the territories that Roland visits withinThe Gunslingernovel are towns akin to something you’d read about inLonesome Dovewhere horse-drawn carriages litter the dirt roads and gamblers play poker in the local saloon. Very lo-fi. Very not technologically advanced. Then there are places like Gilead, where Roland comes from, which is a castle. And there’s magic. The thing readers don’t expect is the more advanced technology.
Now, it’s not technology you would find in a modern sci-fi movie with holographic AI assistants, but there are free-thinking robots and old Windows 3.1-style computers. In book three,The Wastelands, the Ka-tet take a ride on a monorail that left from a city with main frames and servers underneath the city. Roland isn’t even too surprised by much of the technology he witnesses when he winds up in New York City because some of it is similar to things he had seen in his world.
Roland’s world is fading but there are hints of technology scattered around it from a more advanced civilization that came before him.The Dark Towerseriesis a unique amalgram of literary genres that shouldn’t work together, but King brings it all together so masterfully that nothing feels out of place. Not even the movie props.
Stephen King
Stephen King is one of the most prolific living authors. A master of horror, King’s classic works include The Shining, Carrie, Cujo, It, and the Dark Tower series. Many of his books and short stories have been adapted to film and television, including The Shawshank Redemption, Lisey’s Story, 1408, Secret Window, and The Stand.
