EXCLUSIVE: Stephen King Confirms He's Writing for Mike Flanagan's Dark Tower Adaptation: 'It's Happening' - IGN Fan Fest 2025

Mike Flanagan, the acclaimed director behind adaptations of Stephen King's Doctor Sleep and Gerald's Game, has pledged unwavering faithfulness to the source material in his upcoming adaptation of The Dark Tower. This commitment is further solidified by an exclusive revelation from IGN: Stephen King himself is collaborating on the project.

In an interview promoting The Monkey, King confirmed his involvement, stating, "All I can say is it's happening. I am writing stuff now and I think that's all I want to say because the next thing you know, I'll stir up a bunch of stuff I don't necessarily want to stir up yet. I'm in process right now, and to say too much feels like a jinx."

The Essentials: Stephen King's Dark Tower Multiverse

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The Dark Tower, a sprawling epic begun in 1970, holds a special place in King's oeuvre. King's contribution to Flanagan's adaptation remains shrouded in mystery, but his previous work on The Stand epilogue hints at the potential for enriching the existing narrative. The sheer scope of The Dark Tower, interwoven with much of King's other works, presents countless opportunities for expansion.

Flanagan's commitment to fidelity is reassuring, especially considering the 2017 film's less-than-successful attempt to condense the vast source material. In a 2022 interview with IGN, Flanagan emphasized his intention to stay true to King's vision, stating that his adaptation "would look like the books" and explicitly rejecting the temptation to transform it into something like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. He further explained, "It is what it is, what it is is perfect. It's just as exciting as all of those things and just as immersive. It's a story about a tiny group of people, all the odds in the whole world are against them, and they come together. As long as it's that, it'll be fine and there won't be a dry eye in the house."

While the release date and format of Flanagan's Dark Tower adaptation remain undisclosed, the director has a busy schedule ahead, including the upcoming theatrical release of The Life of Chuck (May 2024) and the development of a Carrie series for Amazon, based on King's 1974 novel.