[Warning: major spoilers for The Dark Tower ahead]
With the first film only just hitting cinemas, it sounds like Columbia Pictures already has ambitious plans for where Nikolaj Arcel's The Dark Tower could take us with a sequel.
Adapting Stephen King's sprawling saga, there are already plans for a TV series based on The Dark Tower, but it seems like another big screen adaptation isn't off the table by any means. While critics and box office figures alike haven't been too kind to the fantasy Western starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, that hasn't stopped the movie studio looking to a second film and a continuing franchise.
Speaking to Coming Soon, Arcel revealed how he hopes to continue after this year's maligned cinematic entry. The film ended with Elba's Roland and Tom Taylor's Jake making the decision to leave Keystone Earth behind and presumably set out on a new adventure. When quizzed on where we could go next, Arcel said we should look to King's book series for inspiration:
"I can tell you that you can probably find a lot of that answer in book two, “The Drawing of the Three.” So that’s the best I can do."
Given the dramatic climax of The Dark Tower and presumed death of McConaughey's Man in Black, Arcel teased that we may not have seen the last of the movie's big villain:
"I think it’s fair to say that the Man in Black will return, yeah. He’s the main, he’s THE villain. If we had really wanted to kill him off for good, it would’ve been a bigger moment, and I think it was almost like, “Did he die? Did he not?” I don’t know. For me, he certainly didn’t. He is in the later installments of the novels, so yeah."
While it sounds like the malevolent Walter O'Dim will be back on board, Arcel also teased that Jackie Earle Haley could also return as Sayre the humanoid vampire leader:
"I think there is a possible future for him. We don’t see him actually die, right? But I think he’s definitely one of those characters that I felt wasn’t a big character in the script, but Jackie, I’ve always loved his work. I just told him, “Listen, it’s not a huge part, but it’s important, you know, a seriously important character.” And he was so game. He was cool. He was just like, “Yeah, I love the character, so let me do it.” But you never know what can happen."
If we are looking at adapting "The Drawing of Three," we can assume that The Dark Tower 2 will also introduce fan-favorite characters Eddie Dean and Odetta Holmes/Detta Walker, however, Jake's role in particular getts more complicated from here on out. With King reportedly wanting the sequel to head for an R-rating, it will be interesting to see how Arcel handles all of this for the sequel. Given the criticism of the first film, it looks like it won't just be the source material that will need a reshuffle when/if we move up the floors of The Dark Tower.
MORE: Stephen King Wants R-Rated Dark Tower Sequel
Source: Coming Soon
