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Amazon’s Scrapped ‘Dark Tower’ Pilot Is the Ultimate What-If for Stephen King’s Constant Readers [Podcast]

The Losers’ Club offers an in-depth look into what could have been…

Published

3 years ago

on

Mike Flanagan Dark Tower

The man in black fled across the desert, and the Losers followed.

The road to Stephen King‘s The Dark Tower on screen has been long and costly, but two have come close. In 2017, Sony and director Nikolaj Arcel brought the fantasy epic to life with a feature film starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey. Although a minor box office success, the film flopped with critics and fans, nixing any plans for further sequels.

Two years later, MRC and executive producer/showrunner Glen Mazzara attempted a pivot to the small screen with a more faithful reimagining of King’s work. By dialing back to the origins of the series (see: 1997’s prequel novel Wizard and Glass), Mazzara envisioned a multi-season arc for Amazon and director Stephen Hopkins shot the pilot in Croatia.

The Dark Tower (MRC)

Sadly, the streaming giant passed on the series in early 2020, leaving the 60-minute pilot in limbo. Fans were in turmoil. Recently, however, The Losers’ Club was fortunate enough to screen the pilot, and gathered together to palaver over what they saw. Below, you can hear an in-depth rundown of the episode, in addition to their thoughts as they move along.

What’s more, the Losers spoke to Mazarra himself, who regaled them with a handful of insightful behind-the-scenes anecdotes and piles of notes for what could have been future episodes and seasons. Without spoiling anything, Mazarra truly remembered the face of his father, and the entire saga more or less amounts to a painful What If? in King’s Dominion.

The Dark Tower (MRC)

Stream the review below. To hear the interview with Mazarra, head to The Barrens by becoming a member of our Patreon. In addition to the chat, you can stream all kinds of exclusive content behind the paywall, particularly exclusive interviews, newsworthy episodes, commentaries on King films, reviews on other standalone horror films, and so much more.

Join the Club over long days and pleasant nights via iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS.

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Podcasts

The Double ‘Othering’ of David in ‘An American Werewolf in London’ [Horror Queers Podcast]

Published

13 hours ago

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April 15, 2024

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After concluding March with Raja Gosnell’s Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (listen) and James Whale’s The Invisible Man (listen), we kicked off April with a discussion of  Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr. Ripley (listen).
Now we’re checking off another classic with John Landis‘ 1981 werewolf film, An American Werewolf in London.
In the film, American best friends David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne) are horrifically attacked while backpacking through the UK Moors. Jack is killed and David spends a month recuperating in the hospital, where he befriends attractive nurse Alex (Jenny Agutter) and kindly Dr. Hirsch (John Woodvine).
On the cusp of his release, the mangled corpse of Jack visits David, warning that on the full moon he will become a lycanthrope unless he kills himself. But David is unable to accept his fate and a series of terrible murders follow.
As the bodies (and the comedy) pile up, the question becomes: what will David, Alex, and Dr. Hirsch do to stop the deaths?
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, and RSS.
Episode 277: An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Try not to wolf out because we’re talking about John Landis’ classic, An American Werewolf in London (1981). Backpacking along with us is Xero Gravity, who went on a werewolf binge and has recommendations!
Up for discussion: Alex’s underdeveloped character, urban set pieces, dirty movie theaters, and British rural horror.
Plus: a queer reading of David and Jack’s relationship, Jewish horror, an unsexy sex scene, and extended tangents about werewolf anatomy.

Cross out An American Werewolf in London!

Coming up on Wednesday: We’re undergoing a risky experimental treatment for a “different” kind of child with Netflix’s 2019 title, Eli.

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 302 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal S01E04, Late Night with the Devil, The First Omen, Femme, Abigail and a brand new audio commentary on the original The Omen (1976).

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