stephen King Defends Widely Panned ‘The Dark Tower’ Film Adaptation
The 2017 film adaptation of Stephen King’s epic fantasy series, The Dark Tower, remains a point of contention among fans and critics alike. Despite a lengthy and troubled growth, featuring multiple director and cast changes, the film underperformed at the box office, earning just under $115 million worldwide against a $65 million budget, and garnered overwhelmingly negative reviews-currently holding a 16% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
While many, including producer Ron Howard, expressed dissatisfaction with the extent to which the film deviated from the source material, King himself offered a surprisingly supportive viewpoint. he publicly defended the adaptation, stating, “Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman has done a great job taking a central part of the book and turning it into, in my opinion, a pretty good final product.”
The film’s disappointing reception ultimately led to the abandonment of plans for a franchise.However, King’s expansive universe may yet find its proper visual representation through an upcoming epic television series helmed by Mike Flanagan. In the meantime, fans of the author have had several adaptations to enjoy this year, including The Monkey, The Long Walk, and IT: Welcome to derry, with The Running Man slated for release soon.
