Mike Flanagan's The Dark Tower Can Only Work If It Copies The Expanse & One Piece

Published Nov 10, 2026, 3:30 PM EST Nick Bythrow is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant. He has been writing for the site since September 2022. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2022, where he triple majored in Journalism, Communications, and Media Studies. When he's not writing about TV and movies for ScreenRant and his blog, Frayed Branches, Nick is penning speculative fiction and poetry on Amazon. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts. Mike Flanagan's upcoming adaptation of The Dark Tower is an ambitious project, but one that can only work if it copies the same formula of shows like The Expanse and One Piece. Flanagan has become one of the best filmmakers in recent years to create adaptations of Stephen King's works. From The Shining legacy sequel Doctor Sleep to his emotional take on The Life of Chuck, Flanagan has proven he understands King's stories across a number of genres and forms. Now, Flanagan is building a new universe with Prime Video based on King's magnus opus. The Dark Tower is a seven-book series that follows the adventures of Roland Deschain, a gunslinger in a post-apocalyptic fantasy Western world, who is trying to get to the Dark Tower, a pinnacle of all realities. He's joined by his ka-tet, a group of people from various worlds and points in time, who traverse the world while experiencing stories of their own. In his books, The Dark Tower acts as the connective tissue between everything King has written. The series is sprawling, to the point where Flanagan's Carrie TV show could be considered one level of the Tower — a world within the larger fantasy world. Not only are there seven main books in the series, but an eighth that takes place in the middle of the tale. There are a number of other stories by King that directly connect to the series, too, from The Stand, to 'Salem's Lot, to Hearts in Atlantis. The sprawling nature of the series means that, if Flanagan wants to adapt it properly, he'll have to take after other big TV series. Mike Flanagan's The Dark Tower Needs To Match The Books' Pacing The most important attribute of adapting The Dark Tower series is matching the pacing of the book series. Flanagan has stated he has a multi-season plan for the books, something that will give the pinnacle of King's shared universe time to breathe. But what's more important than multiple seasons is deliberately ensuring the adaptation is paced properly onscreen. The Dark Tower has a very deliberate presentation, one which includes long flashbacks, multi-dimensional adventures, and characters that are deeply fleshed out. Without these attributes translated onscreen, Flanagan's The Dark Tower would fall flat. Since he's already emphasized the importance of having multiple seasons to tell its story, it seems like he already knows the importance of having the adaptation paced in the same way as the books. While this may require more episodes per season for later books in the series, it would ultimately be worthwhile to ensure the show lives up to its full potential — even if it means risking not getting to all seven books. The Expanse & One Piece Are Examples Of Perfectly Structured Adaptations Much like The Dark Tower, TV shows like The Expanse and Netflix's live-action One Piece are perfect examples of adaptations that are structured like the source material. Both shows cover around one major installment per season, with The Expanse adapting it book-by-book, and One Piece typically covering one major arc per season. However, The Expanse never adapted the final three books, while the current release pace for One Piece indicates audiences will never see Luffy become the King of the Pirates in live-action. And yet, both shows stayed true to their source material, not rushing into the later parts of the story in order to wrap it up quickly. Instead, they embraced the pacing of the original works, even if it meant not seeing it to the end like their book and manga counterparts. This approach would work wonders for The Dark Tower. Even if the show risks not making it to the end, since seven seasons would be a major commitment, a one book per season approach paced like the novels would make it the best adaptation it could possibly be. The Dark Tower First Film The Dark Tower Cast Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Taylor, Dennis Haysbert, Claudia Kim, Fran Kranz, Abbey Lee, Jackie Earle Haley, Katheryn Winnick, Michael Barbieri Created by Stephen King Upcoming TV Shows The Dark Tower Movie(s) The Dark Tower Character(s) Roland Deschain, The Man in Black, Jake Chambers, Eddie Dean, Susannah Dean, Oy, The Crimson King, Stephen Deschain, Sayre, Tirana