Steven King’s The Dark Tower series began in 1982 with the publication of the first book, The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger. King has since added eight books to the series, and after three decades, the series is finally getting a big-screen adaptation. but looking at the dark tower movie versus the book, it’s clear that there will be some major differences. Unlike more traditional adaptations, The Dark Tower Movie is not a retelling of one of the original books, but rather an expansion.
the movie the dark tower presents aspects of the entire series, keeping some, abandoning others and tweaking even more. But the one thing that is constant is the hero, the gunslinger Roland Deschain. Played by Idris Elba, Roland’s purpose in the film remains true to his in the books: he needs to defeat the Man in Black and reach the Dark Tower, the center of all universes. In the course of his journey, he meets a young man, Jake (Tom Taylor), who becomes his companion. the characters in the book remain the same, but the nature of his journey changes drastically in the film, mainly due to the fact that the film doesn’t actually follow the timeline of the books.
You are reading: The dark tower books vs movie
See Also: Heather Graham – Book Series In Order
According to King, who collaborated with director Nikolaj Arcel, the film actually starts in the middle of the action. “[The film] starts in mid-res, in the middle of the story instead of at the beginning,” King said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. fans of the series will see snippets from each installment of the film, but shouldn’t count on their knowledge of the source material to guide them through the film. In fact, these are the two main differences between the dark tower movie and the original books that fans should know before watching the movie.
roland, man in black & jack
Fans of the series will recognize the film’s main characters, Roland, Jake and the Man in Black (Mathew McConaughey), but other fan favorites will be missing from the adaptation. Over the course of the series, many Roland characters have joined his quest, such as Eddie Dean, a heroin addict, and Susannah. along with jake, eddie and susannah they make up roland’s ka-tet (his team), but only jake will appear in the film. But don’t worry, Arcel has already stated that if they return to do a sequel to The Dark Tower, Eddie and Susannah will be brought to life in future films. “I would certainly be disappointed in myself or my collaborators if we didn’t bring them in. They’re a big part of the story,” Arcel revealed to ew.
the field horn
See Also: Jack Reacher Book Summaries – LoveJackReacher.comLoveJackReacher.com
the dark tower movie is actually a pseudo sequel to the original series, taking elements from across the cannon rather than starting with the first book. and one of those elements is the field horn. In the original series, Roland doesn’t have the field horn until the end of the books, but in the movie he is already in possession of the magical item. (For those of you who don’t know, the field horn has the power to restart Roland’s journey. Think of losing a life in a video game and having to start the level all over again.) Arcel confirmed that Roland owns the field horn, in fact it means the movie is a sequel to the books. “Hardcore fans of the dark tower series will know that this is actually a sequel to the books in some way,” he told entertainment weekly (ew). “It has a lot of the same elements, a lot of the same characters, but it’s a different journey.”
the movie the dark tower is very different from any of the books because it is a different version of the events, so do not be surprised to see a lot of changes. Roland’s possession of the field horn suggests that the entire film is another reboot, a possible version of events not explored in the books. Bottom line: the dark tower movie is just like the books, only different. and, if you can understand that, then you really are a fan of the dark tower.
See Also: Two Simple Ways to Convert Kindle to PDF