Summary
Mike Flanagan reveals how he will work onThe Exorcistreboot movie and hisDark TowerTV show simultaneously. Flanagan emerged as a key figure in the horror genre during the mid-2010s with his filmHushand Netflix shows likeThe Haunting of Hill HouseandThe Haunting of Bly Manor. After several other hit projects, the filmmaker is now set to take on areboot ofThe Exorcistafter a failed adaptation from David Gordon Green, and a Stephen King adaptation in the form of aDark TowerTV seriesfor Prime Video.
In a recent interview on theTalking Scaredpodcast, Flanagan assures fans that he will be able to work on bothThe ExorcistandDark Towerat the same time fairly comfortably. The director reveals that much of the work on his Prime Video show has thus far been logistical and legal, and that the project is still on track. Check out his comment below when asked if his reboot film will get in the way of his anticipated King adaptation:
Oh, it’s not in the way. They coexist very well. I think the trick with The Dark Tower is just it’s still just takes an enormous amount of time to get going. But we’re further along than the last time we spoke. It seems to be moving on its own momentum. There’s so much logistical, boring, legal stuff that we have to kind of machete our way through to get that thing moving. But yeah, it has not at all stalled and none of the other work that’s that’s kind of emerged has in any way taken away from it.
Mike Flanagan Can Save The Exorcist & Dark Tower
Both Properties Need A Revamp
The Exorcistfranchise was poised for a major comeback after Blumhouse purchased the rights for a staggering $400 million in 2021. Green, who had just recently revitalized theHalloweenfranchise with his reboot trilogy, was chosen as director for the new film, which was a promising sign.The Exorcist: Believerreleased to mostly negative reviewsin 2023, however, and was a box office disappointment, grossing only $136.3 million worldwide. Plans for a trilogy from Green were promptly halted.
King’sDark Towernovel series has also proven challenging. A film adaptation was released in 2017 starring Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba, but it was lambasted in reviews and was also a disappointment at the box office, grossing only $113.2 million. BothTheExorcistandThe Dark Tower, then, are in need of a major creative revamp, andFlanagan has proven himself the perfect person for the job.
Mike Flanagan’s The Dark Tower Show Needs At Least 5 Seasons To Adapt His Favorite Book In Stephen King’s Series
If horror guru Mike Flanagan wants to address his favorite book from King’s The Dark Tower series, his developing show will need to run a while.
Flanagan is one of the most well-known filmmakers working in horror today, andmost of his projects are praised for the ways in which they mix scares with deep explorations of theme and character, making him a great fit forThe Exorcist. Flanagan also has previous experience adapting King’s work, releasingDoctor Sleepin 2019, which, while not a commercial success, showed a clear reverence for King’s sensibilities. BothThe ExorcistandThe Dark Tower, then, seem to be in good hands.
