credit: @flanaganfilm
Back in December, we got the news that Mike Flanagan was leaving Netflix. This was a surprise, as he was having a successful run at the streaming giant with his producing partner, Trevor Macy. They created iconic series like Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass. However, after less than three years under an overall deal, they decided to split and go to Amazon Prime.
I would have thought this was a bad move a couple of years ago. The collaboration with Netflix had been very good, and there seemed to be more projects he could do there. On top of that, Amazon was missing big hits save a few exceptions like The Boys. However, after the repeated cancellations over at Netflix and the latest steps Amazon Prime has taken. I now feel this could really work well for both Flanagan and Amazon.
Mike Flanagan might not adapt The Dark Tower for Amazon Prime
credit: @flanaganfilm
The fact that Flanagan had acquired the rights to The Dark Tower was one of the main pieces of news that came with the deal Flanagan signed with Amazon Prime. This is the big genre-blending Magnum Opus series of books from Stephen Kings that connect his universe. Many people thought that it was a given that the adaptation would happen at Amazon Prime. However, Flanagan stated that Stephen King sold the rights to him directly and that he kept them apart from the overall deal he signed with Amazon.
Now, this doesn’t mean that the TV series he is developing won’t happen at Amazon. But it will be separate from the deal he just signed with them. I would put my money on the series still happening at Amazon, as the streaming giant has been trying to develop it in recent years. Even going as far as shooting a pilot that was ultimately scrapped.
The Dark Tower is very difficult to adapt to as the books span different genres. Ten years ago, Ron Howard proposed a mixture of TV shows and movies to adapt the series. And while it seems that Flanagan is leaning toward doing only a TV show, it is a viable option for him to create both with Amazon.
So, what will this deal produce for Amazon if not The Dark Tower?
It Will Not Necessarily be TV Shows
Flanagan and his producing company, Intrepid, developed many movies before they created the Flanaverse over at Netflix. So this might be something Amazon is interested in. Amazon is not precisely known for its horror output, so strengthening this side is very smart for them.
Before he was known for his TV shows at Netflix, Flanagan produced some good quality horror films like Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game, among others. As horror has become a very profitable genre, especially since the Bloomhouse model of low-budget projects making big profit margins at the box office became the norm, this is a no-brainer move from Amazon.
Flanagan mentioned his desire to have physical copies of his TV shows that he could conserve. This subject was brought up as there are currently no physical versions of his Netflix Series. In this quick and disposable time that we live in, you never know when a streaming overlord will just take a flagship series out of the service completely without any way to watch it because no physical format exists.
He could kickstart a new IP Universe at Amazon Prime
credit: @flanaganfilm
Flanagan can make quality TV shows and Movies at a constant pace, as has been the case for the last couple of years. This opens the door to having a new Flanaverse over at Amazon.
At least for now, this seems like a big loss for Netflix and a big win for Amazon. But before any new show or movie at Amazon is produced, or we start getting news about his The Dark Tower Adaptation, we will get his last Netflix project: The Fall of the House of Usher.
House of Usher is an adaptation of an Edgar Allan Poe short story that promises to be a banger. It stars Willa Fitzgerald, Carla Guigno, Zach Gilford, and Mark Hamill, among others. It will premiere on Netflix sometime this year.
If this show is a hit, it will be a bittersweet departure from Netflix.