Stephen King Wants Dark Tower Sequel To Be R-Rated

If Stephen King gets his way, the next Dark Tower movie will be far more adult. 

Author King's engrossing fantasy book series The Dark Tower was recently adapted into a Nikolaj Arcel-directed flick of the same name. Since the pic is intended to serve as a proper introduction to the novels' expansive world, studio Sony is planning to roll out a few more movies in the future. However, if and when that happens, King hopes one thing will change in the next installment. 

Speaking with CinemaBlend, King stated that he wants the Dark Tower sequel to be R-rated.

"I understand the rationale behind the movie that is PG-13. I was totally signed off on that. I want as many people in the tent as possible, for all kinds of reasons. Part of it having to do with the dynamic between the Gunslinger and the boy. That's a father-son relationship," explained King. "But I'd love to see the next picture be [rated] R. That's sort of where we're coming from now, and where the movie needs to go. [A] PG-13 [rating] was the safe spot to go."

King touched on the notion that some studios are cautious of making R-rated films, as there's a stigma that they pull in less at the box office. "When pictures were [rated] R, the studio execs would say, 'Well, we know that this is going to make 20 percent or 30 percent less money because we're going to exclude a prime tenderloin part of the moviegoing public,'" King said. "[But] I think that movies like Deadpool have changed that."

An R-rating definitely seems more appropriate for the source material, as it tackles a ton of dark themes. However, the chances of audiences ever seeing such a follow-up film may be jeopardized given how poorly The Dark Tower has fared with critics. Still, the flick is slated to, at the time of writing, have a $20 million opening weekend. Perhaps negative reviews won't crush its success at the box office after all, and an R-rated sequel will see the light of day.

While we wait to see how The Dark Tower fares, discover the untold truth behind the movie's source material.