Warning! Spoilers for The Dark Tower novels!

Mike Flanagan shares a major update that details how accurate Carrie series and has an Exorcist ​​​​​​movie in the works.

In an interview with The Kingcast, Flanagan breaks down some of what has to be included in his series and some of the challenges of adapting The Dark Tower. Flanagan stresses that The Dark Tower has to deal with a lot of rights issues, as different studios own the rights to assorted King properties. Flanagan focuses on the 'Salem's Lot character Father Callahan, who plays a major role and enters the story in Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla. Given how many different parts are owned by different companies, Flanagan acknowledges that it cannot be a strict adaptation.

[Randal] Flagg you have to. You know you have to get into Father Callahan, like that's not negotiable. Which means that you're going to Warner Brothers, cause they've got 'Salem's Lot,' you got to talk to them. Crimson King is actually a whole different thing, because there's a history of adaptation with 'Hearts in Atlantis,' which pulls in all sorts of stuff based on that deal that shouldn't have been pulled in because it's not in the movie. 'Low Men in Yellow Coats' also, you gotta go to Warner Brothers, because when they optioned the story, that was also included, whether they put it in the movie or not. So there's all sorts of stuff.

I'm aiming for something...it can't be what's in the book, it's not logistically possible. And I think to the cinematic audience, they're not going to pick up on 'Insomnia' the way Constant Readers are. What you need from that is a character with psychic ability, who's going to be brought in as one of the Breakers, and it's going to be really important how you deal with that. What are the other characters in the King universe that could fulfill a role like that and get the fans excited, even though you're changing it?

For me, I'm like what about Abra Stone? When you go into the what if you can't get Father Callahan, which is always a thing that comes up, and I think we can, but what if you can't, well who can fill that role? Who's a character that's presumed dead in another King story who can come into this story and have a similar arc of redemption? Do you go to Dick Hallorann? I'm just saying, what do you do here?

How do you make it so the King fans will lean forward and be excited about this particular change, but that people who haven't read the books and are being introduced to this connected universe will be able to recognize it from their cinematic experience? That's part of what makes this thing so goddamned hard to do.

Most of those decisions don't have to play into the first couple seasons. Luckily, the gift of The Dark Tower is if you do it right, and you start at the beginning, you're dealing with one character following another character in a barren wasteland, where there's not even a structure to distract you. It is one person following another person. It's very simple, and everything is added.

And it's added at the right cadence that you're meeting new characters, and the world is expanding, so that by the time you're arguing about what to do with Father Callahan, and to what extent the Emerald City is going to come into play, by then you've already built enough of this that the audience is with you whether they're familiar with the source material. That's what makes it so goddamned challenging to do.

What This Means For The Dark Tower

Flanagan Will Have To Make Some Changes

Some of the challenges Flanagan faces in adapting The Dark Tower will create major roadblocks. If the series adapts all of the novels, Father Callahan plays a significant role in the final three installments. The short story Low Men in Yellow Coats was previously translated in Hearts in Atlantis, which is a very strange adaptation, as it is a Dark Tower story, but all references to The Dark Tower are pulled out of it. A character from that story, Ted Brautigan, appears in the final novel as a Breaker, a psychic forced to try and bring down The Tower.

Given that The Dark Tower spans King's entire literary universe and pop culture beyond that, it is not surprising that every part of the novels cannot be brought in.

The Crimson King is also addressed, who is brought in as the main antagonist of The Dark Tower. However, the character was introduced in the novel Insomnia and plays a role in Low Men in Yellow Coats. Despite not appearing in the movie Hearts in Atlantis, the rights to that character are owned by Warner Bros.

Flanagan brings up the possibility that some characters may not be available for The Dark Tower and that all of the references to The Wizard of Oz, The Beatles, Marvel comics, Star Wars, and others cannot all be fit into one adaptation. Given that The Dark Tower spans King's entire literary universe and pop culture beyond that, it is not surprising that every part of the novels cannot be brought in. However, he does mention that other King characters from Doctor Sleep, which he previously directed, could be brought into the story, like Abra Stone and Dick Hallorann.

Our Take On Flanagan's Comments

He Is Clearly Taking Great Care With The Material

Flanagan has become known for his King adaptations from Gerald's Game, Doctor Sleep, The Life of Chuck, Carrie, and hopefully The Dark Tower. While the story starts small, it constantly expands into a sprawling narrative. Flanagan also has to consider viewers who have not read all of the book series and every interconnecting story. While The Dark Tower is a logistical nightmare to bring together, it should be worth the wait given Flanagan's history with King and his ion for the material.

Source: The Kingcast