‘The Dark Tower’: Mike Flanagan Provides Exciting Update!!

When it comes to modern horror, Mike Flanagan has become a household name. Alongside his acclaimed films like Oculus and Doctor Sleep, the director has also pushed the genre forward on television with shows like The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass. One of the filmmaker’s upcoming projects, which has a lot of fans excited, is his adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower. It’s been a while since Flanagan has given us any insight into the series’ progress, but despite his busy schedule, the director has just delivered an exciting update on Dark Tower‘s progress.

The main topic of concern for most fans looking forward to Dark Tower was how Flanagan’s Exorcist film would affect the series. It was recently announced that he would be directing the next installment of the iconic horror franchise, and it currently has a Match 2026 release date. However, on the Talking Scared podcast, Flanagan gave King enthusiasts one giant exhale. “Oh, it’s not in the way. They coexist very well. I think the trick with The Dark Tower is just it’s still just takes an enormous amount of time to get going. But we’re further along than the last time we spoke.” Flanagan would finish by saying, “It seems to be moving on its own momentum. There’s so much logistical, boring, legal stuff that we have to kind of machete our way through to get that thing moving. But yeah, it has not at all stalled and none of the other work that’s kind of emerged has in any way taken away from it.”

What’s ‘The Dark Tower’ About?

The Dark Tower, in terms of King’s legacy, is the author’s grandest tale, spanning eight books and over four decades of other stories. The series follows mid-world’s last gunslinger, Roland Deschain, in his search for the fabled Dark Tower. A location that is said to be “the nexus point of the time-space continuum”. The series also holds many connections to King’s larger body of work, often described as the center of his own literary universe. That scale has made the franchise hard to adapt over the years, with the 2017 film being one of the author’s worst reviewed adaptations. However, Flanagan over the years has shown that he’s the perfect filmmaker to translate King’s unique voice. Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep have been hailed as some of the best horror films of the last decade, for example. Despite Flanagan being about to release his next King adaptation, The Life of Chuck, and his Exorcist right around the dreaded corner, the sheer size of Dark Tower automatically makes it Flanagan’s biggest project to date. That may also have a lot to do with how long the series has taken, as it is being planned as a multi-season epic. Also, if you needed any more confidence in Flanagan’s ability, just last year the director got King’s stamp of approval on the project.

What’s Next For Mike Flanagan?

Flanagan is currently set to premiere The Life of Chuck at the Toronto International Film Festival later this year, while his next horror venture, the untitled Exorcist project, will be released in theaters on March 13, 2026. It was also announced earlier this month that one of his lesser known gems, Hush, would finally be getting a VOD release this August before its first ever physical media release. Flanagan currently has a first-look deal with Amazon, but it’ll be interesting to see where The Dark Tower lands when he eventually brings the genre-bending King series to life.