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

Mike Flanagan has made a bold promise that his upcoming adaptation of Stephen King's epic fantasy saga, *The Dark Tower*, will remain true to the intricate narrative of the novels. Given Flanagan's proven track record with King's works like *Doctor Sleep* and *Gerald's Game*, fans can trust this commitment to authenticity. In an exciting development, IGN has exclusively learned that Flanagan has enlisted none other than Stephen King himself to join his Ka-tet on this ambitious journey.

During a roundtable interview promoting *The Monkey*, IGN asked King if he would be willing to contribute new material to Flanagan's *The Dark Tower*, similar to his contributions to the 2020 Paramount+ series *The Stand*. King responded intriguingly, "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."

If Stephen King is on board, the project is bound to stay true to the source material.

The Essentials: Stephen King's Dark Tower Multiverse

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*The Dark Tower* is one of King’s most cherished and personal projects, with the first novel, *The Gunslinger*, beginning in 1970. The nature of King’s involvement in Flanagan's adaptation remains a subject of speculation. Previously, King added an epilogue to the Paramount+ series *The Stand*, enhancing the storyline for Frannie Goldsmith, a character he felt was underrepresented at the end of the novel. Given *The Dark Tower*'s expansive mythology that ties into nearly all of King’s works, the potential for King to expand his universe is vast.

Whatever new content King is crafting will undoubtedly complement Flanagan's vision, especially since the director has pledged to adhere closely to King’s original text. In a 2022 interview with IGN, Flanagan emphasized, "it would look like the books" and warned against turning *The Dark Tower* into something akin to *Star Wars* or *Lord of the Rings*. He continued, "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 assurance is particularly reassuring after the 2017 *Dark Tower* film, starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, which rearranged elements from all seven novels and received a lukewarm reception.

While the release date and format of Flanagan's *The Dark Tower* adaptation remain uncertain, the horror maestro has plenty of King-related projects to keep him occupied. Flanagan's 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.