Everything you missed in the leaked Dark Tower trailer

Fans of Stephen King's epic fantasy Dark Tower series got an unexpected glimpse into Mid-World on October 10, 2016, when a very rough cut of an unreleased trailer made its way into the wilds of the internet via a leak on Sony Pictures Taiwan's YouTube channel. It's not clear how the leak occurred, but it is obvious the trailer was both legitimate—with actual film footage and dialogue—and not ready for public viewing. Clocking in at two minutes, the leaked trailer is of poor and grainy quality, with a clearly unfinished audio mix as well as incomplete special effects and green screen shots included.

The fact that it leaked at all is actually kind of sad; it's unfair to the filmmakers and actors who are working so hard to bring the Dark Tower books to life on the big screen. That being said, as a diehard Dark Tower fan, I had to watch it immediately, and I don't regret doing so. Recently, I wrote an article about my wild speculations regarding what would go down in the movie when it hits theaters February 17, 2017—and this trailer changes some of my perceptions. Before we get to my new conclusions, let's take a look at a shot-by-shot breakdown of the trailer. At the time of this writing, I couldn't find any live versions online, but I have included screenshots of some of the best clips to go along with my analysis. Fair warning, everything below this point contains spoilers for the entire Dark Tower book series and related Stephen King lore, as well as the Dark Tower movie.

0:02 – 0:04 Roland's hand holding one of his guns. Buildings burn in the background. This probably is Tull.

0:05 – 0:07 Randall Flagg, a.k.a. the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey), walks towards a futuristic-looking open door or passage. It may be a room beneath the Dixie Pig.

0:08 – 0:09 Flagg, in a den or office, places a rose quartz orb on a metal stand (pictured above). This is obviously "Maerlyn's grapefruit," the pink scrying sphere possessed by Rhea of the Coos in the books.

0:10 – 0:12 A flash of light, with shattered glass or stone flying as a person is pulled through a purple portal; an unfinished GFX shot showing what appears to be Jake falling from the air, landing on his back on the floor of the Dutch Hill mansion. Voiceover by Roland: "What happens in one world echoes in others."

0:10 A street intersection in New York City. Smoke fills the air and fragments of stone fly as pedestrians run in all directions. Flagg's legs and long coat appear to be visible in the foreground of the shot, which is probably part of a battle with Roland.

0:11 Flagg looks up from a table inscribed with ley lines, where the pink sphere sits in its metal stand.

0:12 – 0:13 The aftermath of an explosion at an antique store or some other kind of shop in NYC. Smoke still hangs in the air as NYPD and NYFD patrolmen carry civilians towards a waiting ambulance. We see Roland walking down a NYC street or alley filled with smoke and rubble as firefighters rush past him in the other direction. A red brick building on the right matches early set photos of the Dixie Pig's exterior, so we're likely seeing Roland escaping the aftermath of the battle. He is alone.

0:28 – End: Musical cover of "Behind Blue Eyes" plays intermittently in background

0:28 – 0:35 Jake walks rapidly down a NYC street, avoiding several men who appear to be staring at him or following him. Jake stops in his tracks and stares wide-eyed at a man who presses his fingers into his cheek, appearing to "adjust" his face. (Presumably these are all Low Men, and the face-adjusting shot will have GFX added to make it more bizarre).

0:36 – 0:38 Closeup of Jake drawing in his sketchbook (unable to see what he is drawing). Voiceover (Jake): "I see the same thing every night—"

0:38 – 0:39 Closeup of Roland, looking upset/emotional—he's looking up at a burning building. Jake's voice over continues: "Darkness,"

0:40 – 0:41 Wide shot of burning town—looks mostly like wooden clapboard buildings; probably Tull. A few people are running through the streets away from the flames. Jake's VO continues: "Fire."

0:41 – 0:42 Flagg opens a door and enters a darkened room. Jake: "The Man in Black." Flagg walks through the interior of the Dixie Pig, various criminals and Low Men bow and stare at his back as he walks past them.

1:07 – 1:09 Jake lands on the hard-packed dirt of what is clearly the Mohaine Desert, still wearing his hoodie. Unfinished GFX shows the purple-white light of the portal disappearing behind him.

1:10 – 1:14 Roland approaches the camera through the desert. Roland voiceover: "Who are you?" Jake looks up at him from where he's seated. He's no longer wearing the hoodie. Jake voiceover: "It's you." Roland eyes him suspiciously. He may believe the boy is a mirage or a vision sent by Flagg.

1:15 – 1:18 Jake shows Roland the drawing he made of the gunslinger. Jake voiceover: "I dreamt about you." Roland picks something up from the desert ground and looks back at Jake. Jake voiceover: "You're the only one who can save us."

1:19 – 1:21 Closeup of Roland's gun belt. In a forest, Roland pulls both guns and aims up at something well above him at the level of the trees and begins to fire. Jake crouches on the ground next to him, staring up.

1:22 – 1:23 Roland aims a gun at an unseen foe as buildings burn behind him—apparently in Tull.

1:23 Roland and Jake walk along the rocky shore of a lake or bay.

1:33 – 1:34 Jake and Roland sitting on the building again. Jake voiceover: "Your world might be gone, but mine isn't." Cut to a shot of Roland looking up at a dark sky crackling with electricity. Cut to Roland and Jake walking together down a NYC sidewalk.

1:35 – 1:36 Cooks are cut down by gunfire or an explosion in a kitchen.

1:36 Six or seven figures are strapped into a circle of chairs in a futuristic chamber. A glowing light grows at the center of the circle as Flagg and another person watch. Unknown voiceover: "He destroys everything he touches."

1:37 Flagg walks past figures seated in front of computer terminals, and gestures with his hand at something offscreen.

1:38 Roland lands hard on the ground following a blast of some sort in a NYC street, rubble strewn everywhere.

1:44 – 1:45 A hunchbacked creature with four legs, a long and whiplike tail, spiked back and pointy ears approaches through the dark forest. While Jake stands agape, Roland charges past him, shooting at the creature. A closeup of its face fills the screen, with what appear to be rodent-like teeth. Its face is either rotting away to expose the skull or perhaps armored in some manner. We cut to a shot of Roland on a NYC street, crossing his arms and shooting both guns at once. Roland voiceover: "I do not aim with my hand; I aim with my eye."

1:46 – 1:47 Roland leaps off a balcony in an indoor shopping center or mall, shooting at four figures walking with guns below. The legs of at least two dead bodies can be seen in a corner of the shot.

After watching the trailer, it became clear to me that my original guesswork for the plot in my last article wasn't 100 percent correct. The trailer lays out a definite narrative for the basics of the plot, while leaving a lot to the imagination. But here's what we can infer:

Jake Chambers has been having dreams—troubling dreams—for quite some time. They inspire his dozens upon dozens of drawings, which depict his visions of destruction, fire, the gunslinger, and the Dark Tower. He's seeing a therapist to discuss these dreams, which isn't much help.

At some point, he begins to notice strange people following him and watching him as he goes about his day. These are obviously the "Low Men" who work for Randall Flagg. Jake takes off in search of some sort of clue to his dreams, and comes across the Dutch Hill mansion. Upon entering, he finds strange electronic equipment built into the walls of the abandoned house. After activating one of these electronic panels, a portal to the Mohaine desert opens in front of him, and he jumps through.

Fans of the Dark Tower series will know that the portal guardians tend to be named after famous animals in literature or mythology. For example, the Bear guardian was named "Shardik" after the 1974 fantasy novel by Richard Adams. I'm sure the filmmakers will throw us a bit of fanservice by also letting us know the name of this monstrous rat. For this particular guardian, there are several good pop culture candidates it could be named after: Nicodemus from Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Templeton from Charlotte's Web, or even Splinter from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Personally, I'm rooting for Nicodemus, but given that the rat in the trailer has gigantic spikes protruding from its back, Splinter may be more appropriate.

I believe the scenes showing a burning town are likely a depiction of Tull. The construction appears "old west" and not modern. Roland clearly engages in a gun battle there, burning part of the town down and hunting people through the night. Even though it seems likely we'll see the story of Tull onscreen, I don't think Jake will be a part of that story. Remember, Roland travels through Tull before the Mohaine desert in the books. These scenes will likely be part of a flashback, in which Roland will tell Jake the story of Tull sometime during their journey.

This one is debatable, but I'm going with no—at least not in this film. In my last article, I predicted that Jake wouldn't die under the Cyclopean Mountains as he does in the books. From the footage in the trailer and in several photos from the sets, we've seen Jake and Roland together in New York City, so we know both of them make it through the portal back. While this doesn't rule out a potential death for Jake later in New York City, it's reasonable to assume he's safe up until that point.

That being said, I don't see Jake in the later clips with Roland fighting at the Dixie Pig, so Jake could be held captive by Flagg. There's clearly a scene between Flagg or Roland when he taunts him about "the kid," so this may be the point where they are separated. There's clearly a gun battle not only at the Dixie Pig, but also in some sort of indoor shopping center or mall. Roland may need to rescue Jake from the Low Men before they can get on with their mission.

It's also possible that Jake is never in danger, but is elsewhere offscreen assisting Roland. Someone had to drop that propane canister for Roland to shoot in the trailer—maybe it's Jake. There have also been early clandestine photos taken during filming that show Roland and Jake meeting and exchanging a hug on a street in New York; I'm guessing this is when they're reunited after being separated.