Could Netflix shoulder The Dark Tower? I never thought of it until I read this STUFF interview with Netflix Chief Creative Officer, Ted Sarandos --
Arrested Development creator Ron Howard has also been circling Stephen King’s The Dark Tower – any chance Netflix could pick it up?I would wrinkle up my nose and go, "NETFLIX?!!!" But actually, the service has proved quite able to produce quality TV. In fact -- our family went Netflix only over a year ago. Why? Because commercial free TV for cheap was awesome. I watch what I want when I want and don't have to fast forward through commercials. What's more, I'm no longer a 24/7 news junkie.
I spoke to Ron about it, actually. The last time we talked about it the thing was being kicked about HBO – but it’s no longer there. Once Arrested Development gets through we’ll keep talking about it.
Here's why Netflix is a great avenue:
1. You can watch a lot at once. I love it that Netflix will release an entire season at once. Watch at your own pace. Yes, if they did Dark Tower this way, I'd have to take time off work! But it also allows you to go back, rewatch episodes in order to keep up.The full interview with Sarandos is www.stuff.tv/news
2. With House of Cards, Netflix has proven to be able to produce edgy shows that are competitive with anything on TV.
3. Because it's not network TV, the shows have more freedom.
I don't think this would be a bad thing. Netflix is trying to have original programming and maybe this could compete with Game of Thrones.
ReplyDeleteI know one thing at least, anything that can drag a viewer away from 24 hour news deserves a fair shot,especially if stories like house of cards "reports" more accurately than the major news outlets.
ReplyDeleteChrisC
I subscribed to Netflix specifically because of the new season of "Arrested Development" they will be debuting later this month, but I did so around the time "House of Cards" premiered. I enjoyed the heck out of that show.
ReplyDeleteAnd so far, I've also been enjoying "Hemlock Grove." It's kinda sloppy and kinda trashy, but fun. And generally well-made. Between that and "House of Cards" -- which does indeed look and feel like something that could be on HBO -- there is simply no doubt in my mind that Netflix could do a good job with "The Dark Tower."
Still, the question of how to deal with Jake lingers, and is made worse (not better) by the idea of it being adapted over the course of several years. But if it happens, I'll be very excited by it.