With Universal passing on Ron Howard’s adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘The Dark Tower’ this past summer, due to its large budget, producer Brian Grazer has cut the production costs by $45-50 million, Collider is reporting. Howard, Grazer and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman worked to lower the budget all summer for the project, which would feature a film trilogy and a TV series.

While promoting the upcoming ‘Tower Heist,’ Grazer said “We found a way to cut out $45 million out of the budget (for ‘The Dark Tower’) without changing the scope and actually giving it a good ending.” He added that with the original $140 million budget, the “ending wasn’t quite as satisfying. Now, we’ve got $45 million, $50 million out of the way and a really satisfying ending.”

Grazer didn’t say if the new budget will cover the first movie, the film trilogy, the TV series or the entire project. But Javier Bardem is still attached to star in the films and the second season of the show. The first season of the series will feature the Academy Award winner in flashbacks, and a younger actor to portray his character, Roland Deschain.

King’s novel follows Roland, the last living member of a knightly order known as gunslingers. He’s also the last of the line of “Arthur Eld.” His world is politically organized like a feudal society, but it shares technological and social characteristics with the American Old West. Roland’s world also still holds remnants of magic.

Roland goes on a quest to find the Dark Tower, a fabled building that’s believed to be the nexus of all universes. His world is coming apart, as nations are being torn apart by wars; entire cities and regions vanish without a trace; and time doesn’t flow evenly. Not much information is given for Roland’s motives and goals at first, but they’re revealed in later installments.

Written by: Karen Benardello