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

Mike Flanagan, renowned for his successful adaptations of Stephen King's works such as Doctor Sleep and Gerald's Game, is set to bring The Dark Tower to life with a promise of unwavering fidelity to the original novels. This assurance gains even more weight with the exclusive news from IGN that Stephen King himself is joining Flanagan's creative team, known as the Ka-tet, for this ambitious project.

In a recent roundtable interview promoting The Monkey, IGN asked King about his potential involvement in writing new content for Flanagan's The Dark Tower, similar to his contributions to the 2020 Paramount+ series The Stand. King responded, "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."

The Essentials: Stephen King's Dark Tower Multiverse

20 ImagesThe Dark Tower stands as one of King's most cherished and personal projects, with the first novel, The Gunslinger, being penned in 1970. King's involvement in Flanagan's adaptation remains a subject of intrigue. His previous work on an epilogue for the Paramount+ series The Stand showcased his ability to enhance existing narratives, particularly for characters like Frannie Goldsmith. Given the vast and interconnected nature of The Dark Tower, which ties into nearly all of King's fiction, the possibilities for King to enrich the story are endless.

King's new contributions are expected to seamlessly integrate into Flanagan's vision, especially since the director has committed to staying true to the source material. In a 2022 interview with IGN, Flanagan emphasized, "it would look like the books" and warned against transforming The Dark Tower into something akin to Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings. He further elaborated, "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 dedication to authenticity is a welcome contrast to the 2017 film adaptation of The Dark Tower, which starred Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey and was criticized for its disjointed approach to the novels' events.

While the release date and format of Flanagan's The Dark Tower adaptation remain undisclosed, fans can look forward to other King projects from Flanagan. His adaptation of King's short story The Life of Chuck is slated for a theatrical release in May, and he is also developing a Carrie series for Amazon, based on King's 1974 novel.