The Dark Tower may not be hitting theaters until August but we’ve journeyed to the depths of Mid-World and beyond to bring you the latest details about the hotly anticipated Stephen King adaptation. While at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Nerdist sat down with The Dark Tower director Nikolaj Arcel, who gave us the inside scoop on how the feature film adaptation will tie into the larger world and mythology of Stephen King’s magnum opus.

Arcel revealed which books in the sprawling saga The Dark Tower film will draw from and how they hope to expand the story in a companion TV series, which he is currently writing for and developing. The TV series, which will focus on the younger years of Roland Deschain, will allow the creative team to explore storylines and fan-favorite moments that they simply aren’t able to fit into the 95-minute film.

Speaking of expanding the world of The Dark Tower, no Stephen King adaptation would be complete without a few self-referential Easter eggs. While eagle-eyed fans have already spotted references to beloved characters like Pennywise the clown from It, Arcel revealed that there are loads more in the script, and even hinted at one that’s particularly difficult to find. What movie is it from? How will this burgeoning transmedia universe unfold? Tune into today’s special SDCC edition of Nerdist News to find out!

The Dark Tower opens on August 4, 2017.

What would you like to see from The Dark Tower movie and TV series? Let’s discuss in the comments below.

Editor’s note: Today’s episode of Nerdist News is brought to you by Tor Books.

Image: Sony Pictures