Entertainment Weekly‘s coverage of The Dark Tower is the gift that keeps on giving. There’s been a lot to absorb, from those first official shots of Idris Elba decked out as Roland Deschain to word from director Nikolaj Arcel that the movie isn’t quite the adaptation we were expecting. For fans of Stephen King’s novel series, it’s been a terrific week of news. And the outlet plans to go out with a bang, as EW has dropped a gallery of fresh images.
By now, most will be familiar with Elba’s character, Roland. A Gunslinger from an alternate world that’s “next” to our reality, he undertakes a long and arduous journey to the titular tower to stop it from crumbling. It’s a big deal that he succeeds; every universe will be blinked out of existence if he fails. That’s why he doesn’t go it alone. This newest bunch of snaps show Roland and his trusty companion Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor) during several stages of their adventure.
They’re rather telling, too, confirming what Arcel recently revealed about the film’s status. It’s not a faithful adaptation but more of a sequel. As opposed to beginning at the start of King’s first book, Arcel and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman chose to delve into the center of the middle book. After that, all bets are off. Two key characters from the page won’t even feature in this first movie.
That’s not to say it’s going to shrug off the important parts of King’s story. The portal house that Jake has to scramble through to reach Roland, Eddie and Susannah features in this crop of pics, which showcase our first glimpse at the Gunslinger and Jake in New York City.
It might not be The Dark Tower book lovers know, but it’s not a million miles away from it either.
