Ron Howard Gives an Update on THE DARK TOWER and the Budget Reduction
Director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer and writer Akiva Goldsman are all hard at work trying to give us the best possible adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower as they can. The film series will span three films, two seasons of a TV series and of course a video game. Javier Bardem is expected to take on the role of the Gunslinger Roland Deschain.
At one point it looked like Universal Pictures was going to kill the film/TV project, they ended up shaving the budget of the project down, and the production schedule was pushed back. The studio has yet to to give the project the official green light, but Ron Howard and Brain Grazer did an interview with Deadline and gave an update on the project, where it currently stands, and how the budget reduction will effect it.
On Bardem playing the lead character:
I’m hoping when we go, he’s available and will join us.
I think all of the fans are hoping the same thing. Howard goes on to talk about why The Dark Tower series warrants three films and two TV series. Those of you who have read the books understand why, but here's what the director had to say,
The universe Steve King created is so dimensional and creative. It blends scope, sweep, and adventure with some very personal compelling stories. We could have tried to force all of it into one or two or three movies. It became clear to me that the medium of TV has become so bold and cool, we could use it to our advantage creatively and really fulfill the possibilities of this universe of characters King gave us to work with. We can use the intimacy of television when that’s appropriate, and the scope and scale of the big screen with the bigger fantasy ideas. We discovered elements that would probably never have a home either on the big screen or on TV, but would make fantastic narrative gaming opportunities that won’t rehash the movies or TV, but have its own material borne out of the books and graphic novels. We’ve got gaming designers and there is enthusiasm for that. It’s a way to use all the mediums at our disposal to try to fulfill what’s possible. Universal sees this as an asset that can benefit the company in a lot of different ways.
The original vision of the project is then discussed, and how they would have liked to get it on the fast track. The production start date has now been set for early next year.
The first version represented a bold attempt to fast track, because of weather concerns. It was a little more dramatic to people on the outside than to us. We’d have liked to move forward on that fast track, but it was always Phase One. There was an understanding that if we couldn’t answer all the questions in a way that made sense to all the partners involved, then we would operate on a slightly more traditional timetable. Even if we go in March, that’s still moving quickly for something of this scale.
He goes on to address the changes need to be made for the script to accommodate the new budget:
(Akiva) wrote it to be sensitive to cost and is rewriting it to be more so. Without putting a number on it, the cuts aren’t that deep or that radical.
If the changes aren't going to be deep or radical then it shouldn't really be that big of a deal. As long as they can tell they story properly, which is obviously the goal of what this talented group of people have set out to do. I still have faith in this epic project, and if it finally gets the green light I think Howard is going to end up bring us something pretty incredible.
What are your thoughts on what Howard had to say?