The Dark Tower Movie Will Be A Sequel To The Books, Says Director Nikolaj Arcel

The continuing coverage of The Dark Tower adaptation in EW is rolling out a glut of interesting reveals. The first official look at Idris Elba as the cowboy knight Roland Deschain and Matthew McConaughey as his adversary, the sinister Man In Black are terrific teasers for what’s to come. Now the film’s director Nikolaj Arcel has dropped an even bigger morsel to chew over: the movie is not an adaptation – it’s a sequel. Sort of.

Here’s what he told the outlet:

“The hardcore fans of The Dark Tower series will know that this is actually a sequel to the books in a way. It has a lot of the same elements, a lot of the same characters, but it is a different journey.”

“It’s completely circular, cogs and wheels. Everything fits together. It has a great little power to it. It fits very well into the nature of the entire saga itself.”

It’s actually been long-rumored now that the film isn’t actually a straight-up adaptation of Stephen King’s series of novels. After all, the author penned multiple volumes and many more of his other titles connect into the world of the Gunslinger — it’s a very complex tale.

As the history of cinema has shown, intricately-plotted literature doesn’t always translate well to the big screen. Hence, Arcel and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman planned to begin in the middle of King’s series, and spiral outwards from there. That’s why several key players in the story – Eddie and Susannah, for example, who are very important to Roland’s journey – haven’t been cast. Yeah, they’re not showing up in this first movie, but Acel says we shouldn’t worry about that:

“They’re certainly out there. I think the entire story deserves to be told and should be told. I would certainly be disappointed in myself or my collaborators if we didn’t bring them in. They’re such a huge part of the story.”

Adds King:

“I’m fine with it. I know exactly where Akiva [Goldsman] always planned to bring them in and that’s cool with me.”

Well if it’s good enough for King, it’s good enough for me.

The first taste of Sony’s planned franchise is due to arrive early next year, so we’ll discover just exactly how these ‘cogs and wheels’ align when The Dark Tower opens on February 17, 2017.