As director Nikolaj Arcel’s The Dark Tower film adaptation finally gets moving, speculation abounds about what the movie will (or won’t) include from the iconic, somewhat messy book series by Stephen King. The author himself has had some rather arcane things to say on the subject, but none as intriguing as an image he recently Tweeted, which fuels speculation that this time the adventure of gunslinger Roland (Idris Elba) could end a bit differently from the source novels.
Here’s what King tweeted:Â
The Dark Tower is close, now. The Crimson King awaits. Soon Roland will raise the Horn of Eld. And blow. pic.twitter.com/rqGSKM3dWL
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) May 19, 2016
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW….
As those who have read the books will remember, the final novel of The Dark Tower series ends with the gunslinger finally reaching the Dark Tower, facing the Crimson King, and climbing the Tower to realize that this is not the first time he’s completed the long quest.
In fact, he’s done it many times before, only to be sent back to the beginning of his quest with no memory of having already completed it. He does have the Horn of Eld, though, a family heirloom he left behind years before. Naturally, the twist ticked off quite a few readers; even more naturally, this would tick off quite a few viewers.
So why is King’s Tweet important? First, there’s the text on the image of the Horn of Eld which reads “Last Time Around,” which appears to imply that this is the “last time” that Roland will complete his quest. Then there’s what King himself says, especially that bit about raising the Horn of Eld. Could it be that this version of The Dark Tower is really a continuation of the book series, a “last time around” for Roland? It’s certainly possible.
Then again, it’s always a good idea to take these things with a grain of salt. Would King really Tweet such a massive spoiler for the film? Is he just messing with us? We’ll have to wait until The Dark Tower is released to find out, and see where it all goes from there. But King has certainly done his job and fueled interest and speculation about a series that has long been in the offing.
The Dark Tower is set for release in February 2017.
