Sony and MRC’s long-awaited adaptation of Stephen King’s fantasy epic The Dark Tower may not have set the box office alight, although the film has recouped around half of its $60 million production budget, and with many international markets still to come, the Nikolaj Arcel-directed film could well go on to turn a profit. Whether that will be enough to see a sequel greenlighted remains to be seen, but if that is the case, then author King believes it has shake off the restrictions of a PG-13 rating and go down the R-rated route.
“I understand the rationale behind the movie that is PG-13,” said King in an interview with BMD. “I was totally signed off on that. I want as many people in the tent as possible, for all kinds of reasons. Part of it has to do with the dynamic between the Gunslinger and the boy. That’s a father-son relationship. But I’d love to see the next picture be R. That’s sort of where we’re coming from now, and where the movie needs to go. PG-13 was the safe spot to go. When pictures were R, the studio execs would say, ‘Well, we know that this is going to make 20% or 30% less money because we’re going to exclude a prime tenderloin part of the moviegoing public.’ I think that movie’s like Deadpool have changed that.”
SEE ALSO: Read our review of The Dark Tower here
Whether we do get to see a sequel remains to be seen, but it does look likely that The Dark Tower will be heading to the small screen for the prequel series Wizard and Glass, with The Walking Dead’s Glen Mazzara signing on as showrunner earlier this month.
There are other worlds than these. Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, the ambitious and expansive story from one of the world’s most celebrated authors, makes its launch to the big screen. The last Knight Warrior, Roland Deschain (Idris Elba), has been locked in an eternal battle with Walter O’Dim, also known as the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey), determined to prevent him from toppling the Dark Tower, which holds the universe together. With the fate of the worlds at stake, good and evil will collide in the ultimate battle as only Roland can defend the Tower from the Man in Black.
The Dark Tower sees Nikolaj Arcel (A Royal Affair) directing a cast that includes Idris Elba (Luther) as Roland Deschain, Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar) as the Man in Black, Tom Taylor (Doctor Foster) as Jake Chambers, Abbey Lee (Mad Max: Fury Road) as Tirana, Fran Kranz (The Cabin in the Woods) as Pimli, Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen) as Richard Sayre, Michael Barbieri (Little Men) as Timmy, Claudia Kim (Avengers: Age of Ultron) as Arra Champignon and Katheryn Winnick (Vikings) as Laurie Chambers.
Originally published August 9, 2017. Updated November 30, 2022.
