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Warner Bros. Looking To Kick Ron Howard's 'The Dark Tower' Back To Life; Javier Bardem Still In The Mix

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • March 12, 2012 8:33 PM
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  • 2 Comments
News
Just when you think studios are gonna zig, they zag. After a weekend in which audiences rejected "John Carter" and a year in which studios were tightening their belts and dropping expensive and potentially risky projects, one of the biggest of those aborted efforts may be kicking back to life.
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More: The Dark Tower, Warner Bros. , Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Javier Bardem

2011: The Year The Big Projects Died & Studios Discovered (A Little) Fiscal Responsibility

  • By Oliver Lyttelton
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  • December 28, 2011 12:39 PM
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  • 4 Comments
Features
The giant financial crisis that began in 2008 is probably the single event that's had the most wide-reaching ramifications since 9/11, but, as ever, it's taken a few years for the film industry to reflect that, bar the occasional handy coincidence, like "Up in the Air." For the most part, 2011 was the year in which cinematic storytellers began to deal with the mess, from surprise hit "Margin Call" and HBO drama "Too Big To Fail" to the barely-able-to-make-rent lead in "Bridesmaids" and New Depression-era setting of "Real Steel." Even "Tower Heist," dealt with financial inequity and films like "Warrior" dealt with character struggling to make due.
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More: Best Of 2011, The Dark Tower, Men In Black 3, The Wolverine, Akira (Remake), Arthur & Lancelot, Paradise Lost, The Lone Ranger, Oblivion, At The Mountains of Madness

Producer Brian Grazer Says HBO Will Get The TV Series Portion Of The Mega 'The Dark Tower' Franchise

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • October 25, 2011 10:37 AM
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  • 1 Comment
Producer Brian Grazer and his awesome hair, has been very chatty talking to press during rounds for next week's "Tower Heist." Over the weekend he shared with us that the three-film, two-television series mega-adaptation of Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" series -- which was dropped by Universal over the summer -- was still moving ahead thanks to a significant budget reduction between $40-50 million. And while there's still no word if another studio will pick up the reins on the project, one of the best homes for adventurous programming on the small screen is apparently throwing their hat in the ring to be a part of super sized franchise.
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More: Films, Producers, TV Networks, The Dark Tower, Brian Grazer

Producer Brian Grazer Says $40-50 Million Cut From 'Dark Tower' Budget Means "It's Gonna Get Made"

  • By Gabe Toro
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  • October 23, 2011 11:45 AM
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  • 14 Comments
Says Revamped Approach Gives The Movie A "Satisfying Ending"EXCLUSIVE: Universal may have turned off the lights on "The Dark Tower," but producer Brian Grazer, screenwriter Akiva Goldsman and director Ron Howard are still hard at work on developing the property. Universal's worry about the Stephen King adaptation stemmed not only from the mammoth cost, but also the unprecedented vision, with a planned three-film cycle coupled with a television series to bridge the events of each picture. Last we heard the search was for outside financing, and then team with a studio to distribute the film. But, if the project is massively downgraded in scope, will studios be more eager to jump aboard?
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More: Films, Actors, Producers, Ron Howard, The Dark Tower, Brian Grazer

Ron Howard & Brian Grazer Looking For Financing For 'The Dark Tower'; Javier Bardem Still Attached

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • August 17, 2011 1:54 AM
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  • 0 Comments
Is has not been a good time at Hollywood studios for ambitious projects. "At The Mountains Of Madness," "The Dark Tower" and more recently, "The Lone Ranger," have all been squashed as execs have been very reluctant to risk hundreds of millions of studio dollars (and possibly their jobs) to bring these epic visions to the big screen, but at least one of those films hasn't given up just yet. It was just last month that author Stephen King expressed his faith that director Ron Howard would still get the film made, and indeed, he's still trying to.
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More: Films, Actors, Producers, Ron Howard, The Dark Tower, Brian Grazer

As 'The Dark Tower' Crumbles, Here Are 10 Dead Projects In Search Of Resurrection

  • By Gabe Toro
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  • July 21, 2011 3:56 AM
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  • 3 Comments
One of the more ambitious projects in recent memory, "The Dark Tower," was canceled earlier this week by Universal Pictures. It's not a surprise, as the studio also recently put the kibosh on a $150 million-budgeted R-rated take on "At the Mountains of Madness" by Guillermo del Toro and Ron Howard, and Akiva Goldsman's multi-platform, multi-film Stephen King adaptation was arguably more risky and definitely much more expensive. We here at The Playlist root for movies to be good, but we mostly root for movies to be made, for a director to complete their vision and for it to have a chance to reach an audience and possibly become a part of the popular culture.
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More: Films, Feature, Christopher Nolan, Terry Gilliam, Coen Brothers, Neill Blomkamp, Spike Lee, Roman Polanski, Super Hero Films, The Dark Tower, Green Lantern, Robert Towne, Robert Smigel

Stephen King Not All That Surprised 'The Dark Tower' Fell Apart, Has Faith Ron Howard Will Make It

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • July 19, 2011 4:13 AM
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  • 0 Comments
Well, the writing was pretty much on the wall already before it was announced yesterday that Universal had yanked the cord on "The Dark Tower." Despite lots of movement late last year and early this year, with Javier Bardem being tipped for the lead role and lots of excitement around the multi-platform mega franchise that would've seen Stephen King's book series stretched out over three films and television series, word just as quickly quieted as the honchos over at Universal began to get cold feet over the scope and more importantly the cost of the project. Word was that the budget was being reworked and the production start pushed back, but as director Ron Howard begin circling new projects including a "Spy Vs. Spy" movie and the Formula 1 racing drama "Rush" which is already casting up we can't say anyone was shocked by the collapse of "The Dark Tower." Least of all, the author himself.
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More: Films, The Dark Tower, Stephen King

'The Dark Tower' Dies, As Universal Pulls The Plug On Ambitious Multi-Platform Adaptation

  • By Gabe Toro
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  • July 18, 2011 12:24 PM
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  • 9 Comments
"The Dark Tower" has crumbled to the ground.
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More: Films, Actors, Film Studios, Producers, Ron Howard, Guillermo del Toro, The Dark Tower, Amnesty, Rush, Chris Hemsworth, Stephen King, Akiva Goldsman, Universal, Brian Grazer

Ron Howard Says 'The Dark Tower' Will Shoot Spring 2012, Remains Cagey About Javier Bardem

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • May 25, 2011 3:38 AM
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  • 0 Comments
With a plan to stretch over three films and television series, Ron Howard and Akiva Goldsman's adaptation of Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" is certainly ambitious, so much so, that rumors swirled earlier this month at Universal was getting cold feet about the project. Alas, the project is still set up at the studio, but undergoing some revisions as the cautious studio looks like slim down the budget with the filmmakers getting more time to get the story and approach right. EW recently caught up with Howard and he was quite candid about the latest developments, including the involvement of Javier Bardem who isn't quite secured just yet.
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More: Actors, Films, Ron Howard, The Dark Tower

'The Dark Tower' Still Alive At Universal, But Film Delayed And Budget Will Be Trimmed

  • By Oliver Lyttelton
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  • May 13, 2011 12:09 PM
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  • 0 Comments
There's no question, despite the somewhat vanilla nature of its director, that Ron Howard's planned adaptation of "The Dark Tower" is one of the most ambitious projects in years, if not ever. So, despite a trouble-free first few months for the project, we weren't entirely surprised by the rumors last week that Universal, who were meant to be backing the epic three-film, two-TV-series project, were getting cold feet over spiraling costs and were considering scrapping the film entirely.
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More: Films, Actors, Film Studios, Ron Howard, The Dark Tower, Universal

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