Dark Tower TV Series Starring Idris Elba in the Works

The highly anticipated film adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series opened to … well, not so great reviews. Many critics were underwhelmed by the oversimplification of such an out-of-this-world concept.

However, the prayers of book fans who want a more expansive retelling of the series have quickly been answered with the announcement that a TV series is in the works.

Per THR, Sony is in the process of developing a series, starting with a 10-to-13 episode first season, with plans to begin filming next year. While a network is not yet attached, a portion of the cast from the film are reprising their roles, including Idris Elba as Roland Deschain (aka The Gunslinger), Dennis Haysbert as his father and Tom Taylor as Jake Chambers.

Glen Mazzara, known for working on The Walking Dead, has been tapped as the showrunner. While the series is in its early stages, it is expected to be more of an origin story based on a younger Roland and the premise of Wizard & Glass.

“The events of The Gunslinger, Wizard & Glass, The Wind Through the Keyhole, and other tales need a long format to capture the complexity of Roland’s coming of age,” Mazarra told THR.

The Dark Tower film’s director Nikolaj Arcel is writing the script, along with Anders Thomas Jensen, while Akiva Goldsman, Brian Grazer, Imagine TV’s Ron Howard and Jeff Pinkner are all signed on as executive producers.