Flanagan Says 'Dark Tower' Series Will Follow Books' Chronological Order

Mike Flanagan said his television adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower books will follow the saga in narrative chronological order, starting with the first book, The Gunslinger. Flanagan made the comments in an interview with the YouTube podcast The Process Unlocked, according to movieweb.com.

Flanagan also said the adaptation will be remarkably faithful to the novels, with slight adjustments for television. He is bringing The Dark Tower to television, telling the story of gunslinger Roland Deschain and the sorcerer Randall Flagg who pursues him.

A previous film version of the saga, released in 2017 and directed and co-written by Nikolaj Arcel, took a different approach: it was a loose sequel that lifted characters and plot points from several of the novels and compressed the saga into a 95-minute runtime.

Flanagan's King track record

Flanagan has adapted King's work before, directing films based on Gerald's Game, Doctor Sleep and The Life of Chuck. His serialized take on Carrie is currently earning critical praise, and he is confirmed to take on The Mist and The Dark Tower next.

He also created the series The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass and The Fall of the House of Usher. No release date or platform for the Dark Tower adaptation has been announced.