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The Dark Tower finds its Jake Chambers and do story changes and budget issues mean the story is on rocky ground already?

April 3rd, 2016 by Marc Comments

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With Stephen King’s masterpieces The Dark Tower series (I’m currently reading my journey to the Tower for the third time) having found it’s Roland and Walter O’Dim/Man In Black/Randall Flagg with Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, it looks like we have now got our Jake Chambers too.

In the books Roland meets Jake on his was across the desert to find the Man In Black at an abandoned way station. Jake dies but returns to the story later in the second book and becomes a pivotal character in Roalnd’s Ka-tet (group of Gunslingers).

Jake will be played by young actor Tom Taylor (above), best known for his work on British TV series Doctor Foster. Jake in the books is a native New Yorker, so we’re wondering if he’ll keep his accent? Otherwise, so long as the kid can act – Jake has a very emotional and tough journey – then all should be good.

In related news, Aintitcool are reporting that Mad Max: Fury Road actress Abbey Lee, who many thought would be the lead actress, is merely a cameo in the movie: “She’s a glorified cameo, popping up in Devar-Toi and working with Pimli Prentiss, the guy in charge of the quaint little suburb that hides an evil secret [she] has a few scenes and that’s it.”

They also report that in the first movie the main character is Jake and we won’t see Eddie or Detta (if you read the books, you’ll know) until later in the story – this makes sense if they are following the course of King’s narrative.

Now, further details are that SPOILERS in the movie Roland will possibly give up his quest for the Tower because of Jake. This, if true, seriously dilutes part of Roland’s character and a part of the story that both haunts and changes him for the rest of the tale SPOILERS END.

Also, it seems that Sony are giving the movie a fairly low budget for the beginning of a potentially massive franchise and have not given the TV series that is expected to run alongside the movies (so large is Roland’s universe) the go ahead yet.

We’re starting to to think that, on the big screen at least, Roland may set out for the Tower but it’s unlikely he’ll ever reach it.

Long days and pleasant nights.

Let us know your thoughts.

The Dark Tower is set to be directed by Nikolaj Arcel with a February 17th, 2017 release and will focus on The Gunslinger, the first book in the eight book series.

Source: Variety

Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….