10 Things The Dark Tower Movie Should Have Done Differently
9. A Direct Gunslinger Adaptation
Let's say the hour-and-a-half runtime is non-negotiable. That being the case, Nikolaj Arcel should have shot for a straight adaptation of the first book in the series, The Gunslinger, instead of chomping off more than he could chew.
Ninety minutes of all-killer-no-filler content would have been enough to bring Roland's 224-page debut to cinema with no concessions whatsoever.
Presumably Arcel went down the pseudo sequel route over concerns that adapting the Dark Tower saga in its purest form would be problematic, due to the story's length and meaty metaphysics, but none of that should have been a short-term fear.
The director and his creative team should have focused on doing The Gunslinger justice, and if it happened to be the roaring success Sony Pictures is craving, how to handle the sequels could have considered afterwards.
Streamlining could have been introduced further down the line, combining multiple books into one movie, perhaps, but based on how The Dark Tower has been received, follow-ups aren't something Sony will ever need to worry about.
Many have claimed The Dark Tower is unfilmable, but the same cannot be said about The Gunslinger, and this is the story Arcel should have used his 90 minutes to tell.