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

Mike Flanagan's commitment to a faithful adaptation of Stephen King's epic fantasy saga, The Dark Tower, has been further solidified with the news that King himself will be contributing new material to the project. Known for his successful adaptations of King's works like Doctor Sleep and Gerald's Game, Flanagan's promise to stay true to the novels is now backed by the author's direct involvement. In an exclusive interview with IGN, King confirmed his active participation, 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 is a monumental piece of Stephen King's oeuvre, a series he began with The Gunslinger in 1970. King's involvement in Flanagan's adaptation is particularly exciting given his previous contributions to other adaptations, such as the epilogue he wrote for the Paramount+ series The Stand. This added content provided a more satisfying conclusion for the character Frannie Goldsmith. With The Dark Tower encompassing nearly all of King's fiction, the potential for King to enrich the narrative is vast.

Given Flanagan's dedication to adhering closely to the source material, as he mentioned in a 2022 interview with IGN, "it would look like the books" and "the way not to do The Dark Tower is to try to turn it into something else, to try to make it Star Wars or make it Lord of the Rings," King's new material is sure to enhance the adaptation's authenticity. Flanagan emphasized the story's inherent power, noting, "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."

This approach stands in stark contrast to the 2017 film adaptation starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, which received criticism for its deviation from the novels.

While the release date and format of Flanagan's The Dark Tower adaptation remain uncertain, fans can look forward to other King projects from Flanagan. His adaptation of King's short story The Life of Chuck is set to premiere in theaters in May, and he is also developing a Carrie series for Amazon, based on King's 1974 novel.