Stephen Kings Dark Tower to be a trilogy and TV series

Dark Tower fans its time to celebrate . The widely popular Stephen King novel series is going to become 3 movies and then followed by a series. The movie is to be release sometime in 2012 with RRon Howard and Akiva Goldsman calling the shots on this deal. Should be real interesting to see how Howard and company develops this project.

Universal Pictures Chairman Adam Fogelson and Co-Chairman Donna Langley—along with Jeff Gaspin, Chairman, NBC Universal Television Entertainment and Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC & Universal Media Studios—today announced that Universal Pictures and NBC Universal Television Entertainment have acquired the rights to produce three films and a television series based on the seven epic novels, short stories and comic books from Stephen King’s The Dark Tower.
Ron Howard will direct the first film and the first season of television, which will be written by Akiva Goldsman. Goldsman will produce the film through his Weed Road Pictures with Howard and Grazer for Imagine Entertainment. Howard, Grazer and Goldsman will executive produce the television series for Universal Media Studios. Kerry Foster will executive produce the first film for Weed Road Pictures along with Todd Hallowell and Erica Huggins for Imagine Entertainment.
Read more: The Dark Tower to Become a Film Trilogy and TV Series – ComingSoon.net http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=69652#ixzz101x81dYu

Here is a little background of the book series from the wiki . Very accurate in details . I admit to reading one of the Stephen King Dark tower books and now curious to get some more . The one I read i found very entertaining and in Stephen King fashion very

The Dark Tower is a series of books written by American author Stephen King, which incorporates themes from multiple genres, including fantasy, science fantasy, horror and western. It describes a “Gunslinger” and his quest toward a tower, the nature of which is both physical and metaphorical. King has described the series as his magnum opus. Besides the seven novels that compose the series proper, many of his other books relate to the story, introducing concepts and characters that come into play as the series progresses. After the series was finished, a series of prequel comics followed.
The series was chiefly inspired by the poem “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came” by Robert Browning, whose full text was included in the final volume’s appendix. In the preface to the revised 2003 edition of The Gunslinger, King also identifies The Lord of the Rings, Arthurian Legend, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly as inspirations. He identifies Clint Eastwood’s “Man with No Name” character as one of the major inspirations for the protagonist, Roland Deschain. King’s style of location names in the series, such as Mid-World, and his development of a unique language abstract to our own (High Speech), are also influenced byJ. R. R. Tolkien‘s work.
n the story, Roland Deschain is the last living member of a knightly order known as gunslingers and the last of the line of “Arthur Eld”, his world’s analogue of King Arthur. Politically organized along the lines of a feudal society, it shares technological and social characteristics with the American Old West but is also magical. Many of the magical aspects have vanished from Mid-World, but traces remain as do relics from a technologically advanced society. Roland’s quest is to find the Dark Tower, a fabled building said to be the nexus of all universes. Roland’s world is said to have “moved on”, and it appears to be coming apart at the seams. Mighty nations have been torn apart by war, entire cities and regions vanish without a trace and time does not flow in an orderly fashion. Even the sun sometimes rises in the north and sets in the east. As the series opens, Roland’s motives, goals and age are unclear, though later installments shed light on these mysteries.

If you want to learn more on the series why not stop by The Dark Tower Official Web Site. Chuck full of current news including news on the movie.

Official press release

UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND NBC UNIVERSAL TELEVISION ENTERTAINMENT TO MAKE FILM TRILOGY AND TELEVISION SERIES BASED ON STEPHEN KING?S EPIC SERIES OF NOVELS
THE DARK TOWER
Academy Award® Winners Akiva Goldsman, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer Will Produce the Three Films and the TV Series Based on The Dark Tower
UNIVERSAL CITY, CA, September 8, 2010 – Universal Pictures Chairman Adam Fogelson and Co-Chairman Donna Langley—along with Jeff Gaspin, Chairman, NBC Universal Television Entertainment and Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC & Universal Media Studios—today announced that Universal Pictures and NBC Universal Television Entertainment have acquired the rights to produce three films and a television series based on the seven epic novels, short stories and comic books from Stephen King’s The Dark Tower.
Ron Howard will direct the first film and the first season of television, which will be writtenbyGoldsman. GoldsmanwillproducethefilmthroughhisWeedRoadPictures withHowardandGrazerforImagineEntertainment. Howard,GrazerandGoldsmanwill executiveproducethetelevisionseriesforUniversalMediaStudios. KerryFosterwill executive produce the first film for Weed Road Pictures along with Todd Hallowell and Erica Huggins for Imagine Entertainment.
“I’ve been waiting for the right team to bring the characters and stories in these books to filmandTVviewersaroundtheworld,”saidKing. “Ron,Akiva,Brianalongwith Universal and NBC have a deep interest and passion for the The Dark Tower series and I know that will translate into an intriguing series of films and TV shows that respect the origins and the characters in The Dark Tower that fans have come to love.”
The Dark Tower is Stephen King’s opus of seven bestselling novels with, to date, more than 30millioncopiessoldin40countries. Thenovelsincorporatethemesfrommultiple genresincludingfantasy,sciencefiction,horrorandadventure. Aftertheserieswas completed, a prequel of comic books based on one of the characters was also published.
“Building a franchise home for The Dark Tower is an exciting opportunity for this studio, and we’re thrilled that Stephen has entrusted us to bring his beloved novels to the big screen,” said Fogelson.
“Stephen King is a brilliant storyteller who creates imaginary worlds that resonate with the broadestaudiencesacrossagesanddemographics,”saidGaspin. “Wearethrilledto partner with our colleagues in the film division and Brian, Ron and Akiva to bring Stephen’s vision to the largest audience possible through this innovative multi-platform collaboration.”
Howard, Grazer and Goldsman are planning for the first film in the trilogy to be immediatelyfollowedbyatelevisionseriesthatwillbridgethesecondfilm. Afterthe second film, the television series will pick up allowing viewers to explore the adventures of the protagonist as a young man as a bridge to the third film and beyond.
“We are excited to have found partners at Universal who understand and embrace our approachtoKing’sremarkableepic,”saidHoward. “Byusingboththescopeandscaleof theatrical filmmaking and the intimacy of television we hope to more comprehensively do justice to the characters, themes and amazing sequences King has given us in The Dark Towernovels. Itmightbethechallengeofalifetimebutclearlyathrillingonetotakeon and explore.”
“The worlds of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series are richly detailed, inter-locking and deeplyconnected,”saidGoldsman. “Bytellingthisstoryacrossmediaplatformsandover multiple hours—and with a view to telling it completely—we have our best chance of translatingRoland’squesttoreachTheDarkTowerontoscreen. Weareproceedingwith tremendous excitement, fidelity to the source material and, quite frankly, no small amount of awe at this opportunity.”
“King has created the most visually enthralling places and characters in The Dark Tower,” saidGrazer. “ThesynergycreatedacrossallthemediadivisionsofourpartnersatNBC Universaltotellthisremarkablestoryisground-breakingandinvigorating. Thisproject will be one of the most exciting and challenging that I will have ever worked on and I am thrilled to be a part of it.”
About Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). UniversalStudiosispartofNBCUniversal. NBCUniversalisoneoftheworld’sleading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment,newsandinformationtoaglobalaudience. FormedinMay2004through the combining of NBC and Vivendi, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world- renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80% owned by General Electric and 20% owned by Vivendi.
About NBC Entertainment
NBC Entertainment develops and schedules programming for the network’s primetime, late-night, and daytime schedules. NBC’s quality programs and balanced lineup have earned the network critical acclaim, numerous awards, and ratings success. The network has earned more Emmy Awards than any network in television history.
NBC’s roster of popular scripted series includes critically acclaimed comedies like Emmy winners The Office, starring Steve Carell, and 30 Rock , starring Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey. Veteran, award-winning dramas on NBC include Law& Order: SVU, Parenthood, Friday Night L ights and Chuck . Unscripted series for NBC include the hits The Biggest L oser, Celebrity Apprentice,andAmerica’sGotTalent. NBCis#1inlatenight’skeyratingsraceswithThe Tonight Show with Jay L eno, L ate Night with Jimmy Fallon, L ast Call with Carson Daly, and Saturday Night L ive. NBC Daytime’s Days of our L ives consistently finishes among daytime’s topprogramsinthevaluablewomen18-34category. Formoreinformationvisit www.nbc.com.
Contacts:
Universal Pictures: Kori Bernards (818) 777.7216/kori.bernards@ nbcuni.com NBC Television Entertainment: Rebecca Marks (818) 489.7779/rebecca.marks@ nbcuni.com
UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND NBC UNIVERSAL TELEVISION ENTERTAINMENT TO MAKE FILM TRILOGY AND TELEVISION SERIES BASED ON STEPHEN KING?S EPIC SERIES OF NOVELS
THE DARK TOWER
Academy Award® Winners Akiva Goldsman, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer Will Produce the Three Films and the TV Series Based on The Dark Tower
UNIVERSAL CITY, CA, September 8, 2010 – Universal Pictures Chairman Adam Fogelson and Co-Chairman Donna Langley—along with Jeff Gaspin, Chairman, NBC Universal Television Entertainment and Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC & Universal Media Studios—today announced that Universal Pictures and NBC Universal Television Entertainment have acquired the rights to produce three films and a television series based on the seven epic novels, short stories and comic books from Stephen King’s The Dark Tower.
Ron Howard will direct the first film and the first season of television, which will be writtenbyGoldsman. GoldsmanwillproducethefilmthroughhisWeedRoadPictures withHowardandGrazerforImagineEntertainment. Howard,GrazerandGoldsmanwill executiveproducethetelevisionseriesforUniversalMediaStudios. KerryFosterwill executive produce the first film for Weed Road Pictures along with Todd Hallowell and Erica Huggins for Imagine Entertainment.
“I’ve been waiting for the right team to bring the characters and stories in these books to filmandTVviewersaroundtheworld,”saidKing. “Ron,Akiva,Brianalongwith Universal and NBC have a deep interest and passion for the The Dark Tower series and I know that will translate into an intriguing series of films and TV shows that respect the origins and the characters in The Dark Tower that fans have come to love.”
The Dark Tower is Stephen King’s opus of seven bestselling novels with, to date, more than 30millioncopiessoldin40countries. Thenovelsincorporatethemesfrommultiple genresincludingfantasy,sciencefiction,horrorandadventure. Aftertheserieswas completed, a prequel of comic books based on one of the characters was also published.
“Building a franchise home for The Dark Tower is an exciting opportunity for this studio, and we’re thrilled that Stephen has entrusted us to bring his beloved novels to the big screen,” said Fogelson.
“Stephen King is a brilliant storyteller who creates imaginary worlds that resonate with the broadestaudiencesacrossagesanddemographics,”saidGaspin. “Wearethrilledto partner with our colleagues in the film division and Brian, Ron and Akiva to bring Stephen’s vision to the largest audience possible through this innovative multi-platform collaboration.”
Howard, Grazer and Goldsman are planning for the first film in the trilogy to be immediatelyfollowedbyatelevisionseriesthatwillbridgethesecondfilm. Afterthe second film, the television series will pick up allowing viewers to explore the adventures of the protagonist as a young man as a bridge to the third film and beyond.
“We are excited to have found partners at Universal who understand and embrace our approachtoKing’sremarkableepic,”saidHoward. “Byusingboththescopeandscaleof theatrical filmmaking and the intimacy of television we hope to more comprehensively do justice to the characters, themes and amazing sequences King has given us in The Dark Towernovels. Itmightbethechallengeofalifetimebutclearlyathrillingonetotakeon and explore.”
“The worlds of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series are richly detailed, inter-locking and deeplyconnected,”saidGoldsman. “Bytellingthisstoryacrossmediaplatformsandover multiple hours—and with a view to telling it completely—we have our best chance of translatingRoland’squesttoreachTheDarkTowerontoscreen. Weareproceedingwith tremendous excitement, fidelity to the source material and, quite frankly, no small amount of awe at this opportunity.”
“King has created the most visually enthralling places and characters in The Dark Tower,” saidGrazer. “ThesynergycreatedacrossallthemediadivisionsofourpartnersatNBC Universaltotellthisremarkablestoryisground-breakingandinvigorating. Thisproject will be one of the most exciting and challenging that I will have ever worked on and I am thrilled to be a part of it.”
About Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). UniversalStudiosispartofNBCUniversal. NBCUniversalisoneoftheworld’sleading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment,newsandinformationtoaglobalaudience. FormedinMay2004through the combining of NBC and Vivendi, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world- renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80% owned by General Electric and 20% owned by Vivendi.
About NBC Entertainment
NBC Entertainment develops and schedules programming for the network’s primetime, late-night, and daytime schedules. NBC’s quality programs and balanced lineup have earned the network critical acclaim, numerous awards, and ratings success. The network has earned more Emmy Awards than any network in television history.
NBC’s roster of popular scripted series includes critically acclaimed comedies like Emmy winners The Office, starring Steve Carell, and 30 Rock , starring Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey. Veteran, award-winning dramas on NBC include Law& Order: SVU, Parenthood, Friday Night L ights and Chuck . Unscripted series for NBC include the hits The Biggest L oser, Celebrity Apprentice,andAmerica’sGotTalent. NBCis#1inlatenight’skeyratingsraceswithThe Tonight Show with Jay L eno, L ate Night with Jimmy Fallon, L ast Call with Carson Daly, and Saturday Night L ive. NBC Daytime’s Days of our L ives consistently finishes among daytime’s topprogramsinthevaluablewomen18-34category. Formoreinformationvisit www.nbc.com.