With Javier Bardem officially being cast in Bond 23, the actor he secured a job just as his old application was being buried under the rubble of a failed project. The Ron Howard-directed Dark Tower project (which almost demands a different word considering how Cyclopean that damned thing was) is now too hefty for Universal to support.
Too hefty, and too much of a gamble.
According to Deadline Cressia, the studio has passed on what would have been a three film, two television mini-series deal to bring the Stephen King epic to life. Sadly, these things happen. In fact, this situation isn’t at all surprising. Committing to that much money and that many films is a gargantuan gamble that might have seen Universal not only lose big, but also find themselves unable to put more funding into other projects. In short, it would have consumed them.
The good news is that the project is free to go to another studio that might be a good home for it. Or it might just remain a pipe dream. The bigger question here is – why not do it the old fashioned way where you make a movie, plan for a sequel and create something the audience will lovingly support?