[livius drusus]

And just like that, it's over. Universal Pulls the Plug on 'The Dark Tower'

Womp womp woooomp

The first film was slated to begin production this summer, but shooting was delayed last spring with the studio announcing that it needed to make the project more cost-effective.

That temporary delay became permanent this week, and now deprives Universal of a film series that it had hoped would become a linchpin for its film slate for years to come. [...]

Yet, after being announced with great fanfare last Fall, "The Dark Tower" ran up against a very different corporate culture after Comcast took over the studio in January.

More so than ex-corporate parent General Electric, Comcast leans toward the frugal, and the very expensive "Dark Tower" clearly left the people who control the purse strings uncomfortable.

Following Comcast's acquisition, Universal has shown a willingness to make cuts. [...]

But in cutting "The Dark Tower" from its schedule, Universal does run the risk of alienating one of its most loyal and profitable partners. Imagine Entertainment, Howard and Grazer's production company, has grossed millions of dollars in box-office revenue with hits such as "American Gangster" and "A Beautiful Mind."

On Monday, Universal apparently decided that the risk was too great that "The Dark Tower" wouldn't join that hit list.