Mike Flannigan's adaptation of The Dark Tower must include this important prequel story

Key recommendations

• A new adaptation of The Dark Tower by Mike Flannigan must include vital prequel stories like The Fall of Gilead.
• The Fall of Gilead and the Battle of Jericho Hill explain how Roland became the last gunslinger in Stephen King's series.
• These prequel stories provide emotional depth and crucial backstory to Roland's character and are essential to the TV adaptation.

The popularity shows no signs of abating when it comes to adaptations of the horror writer Stephen King's novels, short stories and novels. And so, it's no surprise that many are looking forward to acclaimed director Mike Flannigan's adaptation The Dark TowerStephen King's most prolific and acclaimed series. The story of the last gunslinger heading to the Dark Tower to stop the Crimson King from toppling the structure that holds the entire multiverse together has long infused many of King's other works. However, only The Dark Tower the series tied directly into the lore and myths the author created all those years ago in book 1, The gunslinger. However, there is one critical story that the first book didn't get to: The Fall of Gilead.

In more modern adaptations of the series in comic book form, the writers pieced together the events in the life of the protagonist Roland Deschain, which lead to him becoming the last gunslinger in the universe. The fourth book in the main series, The Wizard and the Glassexplores the many events leading up to this fall, including the most significant loss of Roland's young life. However, it was the fall of Gilead and the Battle of Jericho Hill that sealed his fate by traveling to the legendary The Dark Tower. That's why Mike Flannigan's The Dark Tower the adaptation must include these vital prequel stories.

The Dark Tower, explained

Long considered the work of Stephen King, The Dark Tower The series follows Roland Deschain, the last of the gunslingers. Descending from the Eld Line (this universe's version of King Arthur), Roland decides to follow his people's ultimate mission: to protect and secure the iconic Dark Tower. Events occurred that led them to believe that evil forces were working to break the powerful beams (the high-powered energy beams spread through multiple worlds that support the Dark Tower).

The first book begins with Roland chasing the Man in Black, a mysterious enemy with answers to Roland's quest for the Dark Tower. Along his journey, Roland meets others who are displaced or lost in time like him. He soon forms his own gun squad, training them in the use of the weapons and combat skills he has spent his entire life studying. They encounter many enemies on their journey, from talking killer trains and mechanized wolf soldiers to “downmen” or animal hybrid humanoids wearing human masks. And of course there is their leader, The Crimson King, a deadly ruler who seeks nothing but oblivion.

The books all explore elements such as the multiverse, which allows the author to draw from various other books he has written. The fourth book includes the settings found in The standwhile prominent Salem's lot the character Father Callahan makes his way into Wolves of Calla. King's other books also draw from The Dark Tower series instead. For example, Ted Brautigan in Hearts of Atlantis he saw Roland and his group heading towards the tower. Meanwhile, The Black House (co-written by the late Peter Straub) not only featured Speedy Parker's Twinner Parkus as a former gunslinger, but revealed that one of the Crimson King's facilities is being used to house children with the ability to telekinetically break through the beams of the Dark Tower .

The Fall of Gilead and the Battle of Jericho Hill

While the books cover a lot of ground with the backstory and mythology of Stephen King's series, there will always be fans who are eager for more and looking for answers to lingering questions. Thanks to Marvel Comics, some of these questions have been answered. The stories The Fall of Gilead and The Battle of Jericho Hill answered the question of how Roland became the last of the gunslingers, and it's both epic and tragic at the same time.

After the events of the fourth book in the main series, Roland is heartbroken once again when he discovers that he has been tricked by a powerful artifact known as Maerlyn's Grapefruit. This led him to believe that an old enemy, Rhea of ​​the Coos, had actually returned, when in fact it was his mother, Gabrielle, who was sitting there. When his father discovers that his son has ended his wife's life, he also discovers a poisoned blade on her person. This leads to the realization that their enemy, John Farson, had forced Gabrielle to try to end Roland's father's life. Despite the circumstances, Roland stands trial. However, he is soon freed and tasked with leading the survivors from their Gilead home when his father and the other gunslingers are ambushed and taken by Farson's army.

The Battle of Jericho Hill takes place several years later, after a series of attacks led by Roland and the last remaining gunslingers culminate in a brutal final stand on the infamous Jericho Hill. As his friends and allies fall one by one by his side, Roland is shot and left for dead. But shortly after Farson's men leave, he stands up, accepting defeat. He realizes that his mission to the Dark Tower is the only thing left for him to do, with his people and his home destroyed once and for all.

These moments are crucial to how Roland came to be who he was at the beginning of the main series and why it was so hard for him to let people back into his life after losing so much as a young man. These stories add emotional depth to his character as well as the history and mythology these comic prequels add to the Gunslingers story and The Dark Tower in total. They are essential source material for developing this series into a television show and must be considered when Mike Flannigan develops the franchise.