Sony Pictures Bumps Stephen King’s ‘Dark Tower’ to Summer 2017

Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey film was set to open in February

dark tower

“The Dark Tower” has moved from winter 2017 to later that summer, TheWrap has learned.

The Stephen King adaption was shuffled in a move of confidence, an individual familiar with the change said, allowing the modestly budgeted film a bigger audience in the blockbuster window. The production also needs time to complete VFX, the insider said.

The story blends horror and fantasy to tell the tale of a gunslinger (Idris Elba) who has taken up the lifelong quest of locating the Dark Tower — which is the nexus of the universe — before evil invades and destroys the tower, ending all existence. Matthew McConaughey also stars as The Man in Black.

Sony Pictures and Media Rights Capital are co-financing the ambitious feature film, which Nikolaj Arcel directed from a script by Akiva Goldsman and Jeff Pinkner that’s primarily based on the first book in King’s series, “The Gunslinger.” Imagine Entertainment is also producing.

Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Erica Huggins are producing along with Goldsman and his Weed Road banner. A companion TV series that’s long been part of the adaptation plans is also in the works.

Sony chief Tom Rothman has positioned “The Dark Tower” as the start of a global franchise, saying in an earlier statement that “there are few projects out there that compare with the scope, vision, complex characters and fully drawn world that Stephen King has created.”

Entertainment Weekly first reported this news.

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