The Dark Tower: Differences Between Book & Film
Like with any book to screen adaptation, it can be expected that there will be some differences between the two whether they stem from directorial choices, an attempt to appeal to more than just fans of the novel, or there just isn’t enough time to put it all into one film.
Stephen King’s latest novel being brought to life is The Dark Tower, which is based on the first book in the eight-book series, The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger. The fantasy series is considered one of King’s best works, leaving director Nikolaj Arcel with a hard task and high expectations, especially considering that the first book doesn’t necessarily end on a “theatrical” note as well as having scenes that while informative to read, would not be entertaining to watch. In order to combat this, Arcel decided to pull ideas from all of the books, (with a primary focus on the first one) and then creating a slightly revised edition of it. Book spoilers ahead:
For instance, in the first book, lead character Roland Deschain (who is being played in the movie by Idris Elba) doesn’t have The Horn of Eld, but in released pics from the movie, Elba is seen carrying it. A major plot point of the books is that when Roland finally reaches the Dark Tower in the final novel, he discovers that his journey starts over and over and over again, each time, changing slightly depending on his actions.
It is also currently unknown whether or not Roland will let his boy companion Jake Chambers die like he does in the first book and considering that this is a revised journey, it’s possible that they’re following a narrative where Jake lives.
The largest known difference so far, however, is that The Dark Tower doesn’t introduce Eddie Dean and Susannah Walker. Walker and Dean are introduced in the second book in the series and it’s learned that Roland shares a telepathic connection with them, as well as with Chambers. If the series was going novel by novel, it would make sense for why they are absent from the film, but since it isn’t, it’s a bit odd due to the fact of how much they are intertwined in Roland’s tale. That being said, both Arcel and King have confirmed to wanting to introduce them in the future, should the series continue to be made.
So have you read the series? Are you upset that they aren’t doing it book-by-book or are willing to give it a chance since Stephen King himself seems to be on board? Let us know in the comments below!
The Dark Tower shoots into theaters on August 4th, 2017.
Source: screenrant.com
