Popverse's top stories

• TTRPG "summer camp meets private ren faire" event Champions Grove unveils its 2026 guest list
• Watch now: Watch Behind the Codec: The Voice Cast of Metal Gear Solid with David Hayter, Jennifer Hale, Christopher Randolph, Cam Clarke, and Tasia Valenza from NYCC 2025
• Grab your berets, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Ben Starr and Jennifer English are coming to Emerald City Comic Con 2026

Mike Flanagan seems to know exactly what you think of when you hear the words "Dark Tower movie." And though it surely isn't the only thing on his mind as he's creating his own take on the Stephen King-created saga, that thing you're thinking of is certainly rattling around in that genius horror brain as he crafts it. At least, that's what a recent interview leads us to believe.

OK, enough beating around the bush - the image that most people conjur up upon hearing "Dark Tower movie" is the 2017 misfire of the same name, which starred Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey. Though the film did decent numbers at the box office, it was a critical failure, with a 16% on Rotten Tomatoes and The Wrap's Dan Callahan calling it "a complete disaster, a limp, barely coherent shell of a movie."

(One doubts if Pennywise himself could come up with something so teethy.)

Fast forward eight years, and Mike Flanagan says his take on the epic fantasy saga is "moving," explaining that the project is "an oil tanker" in its scale but assuring fans that "We’ve got a lot of scripts done for it. It’s the first priority." Beyond the other, separate oil tanker full of money Flanagan is probably getting for the project (we assume), Flanagan's commitment to the project seems to stem not only from both his well-documented love of King's Dark Tower books, but also his willingness to take his time and... well, correct previous mistakes.

"We can’t let that be the final word," Flanagan said definitely of the 207 Dark Tower film, "We really can’t."

Glad to hear we're on the same page, Mike.

In the immortal words of Danny Elfman, "Life's no fun without a good scare." Join Popverse's weekly explorations of the best opening moments of horror cinema in The Coldest Open, and then check out:

• The best horror movies of all time, according to horror aficionado Greg Silber
• The most underrated horror movies from the past couple years
• All the new and upcoming horror movies for 2025 and beyond

And much gore. Er, more. Much more.