It had been a few months since we'd heard anything on Ron Howard's adaptation of The Dark Tower, by Stephen King. But now, the filmmaker has offered an update on the long-awaited project, assuring fans that he hasn't forgot about it.

"The Dark Tower is something that we're still working on," Howard told Empire in recent interview. "We've all taken a vow of silence about the progress, the headway, what we think our timetable is, because I don't think I realized how much media interest there was in the title and how much excitement there was."It's a fascinating, powerful possibility and even Stephen King acknowledges it's a tricky adaptation, but to be honest, from a financing side, it's not a straightforward, four-quadrant, sunny superhero story -- it's dark, it's horror. That edge is what appeals to me, the complexities of those characters is what appeals to all of us. And I think Stephen King really respects that, with [regular screenwriting collaborator] Akiva Goldsman and myself, that that's what we love about it, and that's what we want to try to get to the screen."

With King himself making an appearance in The Dark Tower, has Howard considered how he might tackle that? "Yes," he replied. "And I will admit Stephen has said, 'I don't have to be in this.' But that's not to say that he won't be!"Of course, Howard was also asked about the future of Arrested Development , which debuted its fourth season on Netflix earlier this year."This last season was all designed as a set-up and a drum roll," Howard explained. "There is a mystery hanging there, there are narrative threads dangling in the air, and so I think the fans are doing what they've done with the show all along: they're saying they want more. Netflix is listening, and it's still a question whether the best way to answer those questions are going to be more episodes or a longer form thing."

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