Stephen King’s “Wizard and Glass” to be TV series, filling in “Dark Tower” movie backstory

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Akiva Goldsman, producer of the upcoming first installment of the “Dark Tower” movie series set to hit theaters Feb. 17, announced today that “Wizard and Glass,” the fourth book in the series that details gunslinger Roland Deschain’s backstory, would be developed into a TV series.

Goldsman told Entertainment Weekly that the long-rumored “Wizard and Glass” TV series didn’t have many details set in stone, such as when shooting would begin or on what platform the series would premiere, but that it’s “definitely happening.” With a planned 2018 release, “Wizard and Glass” would help fill in the story behind Roland, set to be portrayed in the movie by Idris Elba. Elba has signed on to appear in the TV series, along with Tom Taylor, who plays Jake Chambers, though it’s not known if Matthew McConaughey would appear as the Man in Black in it as well.

Unlike the other six books in the Dark Tower series, “Wizard and Glass” does not take place in the story’s central timeline and plot, about Roland and his ka-tet trying to reach the otherworldly tower that connects our world with other worlds. A TV series would help to tell that important backstory without disrupting the narrative flow of the overall story arc.

Today, Sept. 21, is also Stephen King’s birthday.

Emily Burnham

About Emily Burnham

Emily Burnham is a Maine native, UMaine graduate, proud Bangorian and a writer for the Bangor Daily News, where she's worked since 2004. She reports on everything from local bands to local food to all the cool things going on in the Greater Bangor area. In her quest for stories, she's seen countless concerts and plays, been lobster fishing, interviewed celebrities, hung out with water buffalo and played in a ukulele orchestra. She's interested in everything that happens in Maine.