The official theatrical runtime for the upcoming dark fantasy epic The Dark Tower has been confirmed. Based on the best-selling eight volume series of novels written by acclaimed American author Stephen King, the new movie will be directed by Nikolaj Arcel and will star Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey as chief protagonist Roland Deschain and Matthew McConaughey as the nefarious Man in Black, respectively.
For those in the know, there has been plenty of speculation in regards to how The Dark Tower movie will fit into the other major film productions based on other notable Stephen King properties - most notably including IT, the Hulu original series Castle Rock, and the forthcoming Dark Tower TV series. As any fan of King's novels knows, many of his most famous works operate within the same fictional Maine town of Castle Rock, and the original Dark Tower novels frequently made reference to past events and characters in King's other works of fiction. It remains to be seen just how closely The Dark Tower movie will tie into the larger King mythology, but it can now be said for certain just how long the movie will be.
According to the British Board of Film Classification, The Dark Tower will debut with a theatrical runtime of approximately 95 minutes - or roughly an hour and a half. Compared to many other major motion picture productions with far longer runtimes often resulting in upwards of two hours spent in the theater, Arcel will grant viewers of King's grand fantasy epic a more condensed odyssey into one of the most anticipated theatrical releases of the summer.
Considering the fact that contemporary 2017 box office heavyweights like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Wonder Woman each respectively demanded almost two and a half hours of an average viewer's time, The Dark Tower appears primed to offer a far brisker action-adventure narrative for fans of King's original works of epic fiction. Whether or not viewers will be especially pleased with a short runtime remains to be seen, though it certainly calls into question the long hours spent watching the latest entries in the MCU and DCEU, respectively.
With the Andrés Muschietti directed adaption of the classic Stephen King property that is IT still forthcoming later this fall, Arcel and company have quite the task ahead of them when it comes to pleasing viewers with the release of The Dark Tower early next month. On that note, here's to hoping for the very best from everyone involved in the forthcoming dark fantasy adventure film.
MORE: The Dark Tower TV Show Would Include Idris Elba
Source: British Board of Film Classification
