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On that note, there’s another big change that Arcel is making to the books, but it’s more of a clarification about the kind of story he wants to tell in his movie than it is an actual difference. Apparently, though the plot won’t really be the same, Arcel considers his Dark Tower movie to be based on the first book in the series, The Gunslinger, which means Eddie and Susannah—two major characters who don’t appear until the second book—won’t be there. The roles haven’t even been cast yet, but EW says they’re “guaranteed” if The Dark Tower gets a sequel. (The same presumably goes for a certain little furry guy who joins the gang in the third book.)

As for whether those sequels will happen, it all depends on if The Dark Tower is a hit. EW highlights that its relatively low budget “improves the likelihood of success,” and Arcel says that he thinks “the entire story deserves to be told and should be told.” He also adds that he’d be “disappointed” in both himself and the other people who worked on the movie if they didn’t get a chance to introduce Eddie and Susannah, noting that they’re “such a huge part of the story.”

That may not be great news for Dark Tower fans, but at least now we finally know why the movie has been casting a whole bunch of nobodies and not the characters who are actually important to the story. Plus, as Roland would say, “there will be sequels if Ka wills it.”

You can see EW’s Dark Tower cover below.