<P> The Dark Tower is a 2017 American dark fantasy western film directed and co-written by Nikolaj Arcel . A continuation of Stephen King's novel series of the same name, the film stars Idris Elba as Roland Deschain, a gunslinger on a quest to protect the Dark Tower--a mythical structure which supports all realities--while Matthew McConaughey plays his nemesis, Walter Padick, the Man in Black, and Tom Taylor stars as Jake Chambers, a New York boy who becomes Roland's apprentice . </P> <P> Intended to launch a film and television franchise, the first installment combines elements from several novels in the eight - volume series, and takes place in both modern - day New York City and in Mid-World, Roland's Old West - style parallel universe . The film also serves as a canonical sequel to the novel series, which concludes with the revelation that Roland's quest is a cyclical time loop; the presence of the Horn of Eld, which Roland carries in the film, indicates that this is the next cycle . </P> <P> The Dark Tower premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City on July 31, 2017, and was theatrically released in the United States by Columbia Pictures on August 4, 2017 . It has grossed $113 million worldwide against its production budget of $60 million, and received generally negative reviews, with critics calling it "a dull disappointment without any set audience: incomprehensible to newbies, and wildly unfaithful and simplistic to fans of King's books," though Elba's performance earned some praise . </P> <P> Eleven - year - old Jake Chambers experiences visions involving a Man in Black who seeks to destroy a Tower and bring ruin to the Universe, and a Gunslinger who opposes him . Jake's mother, stepfather, and psychiatrists dismiss these as dreams resulting from the trauma of his father's death the previous year . </P>

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