Stephen King’s The Dark Tower is set to begin filming in seven weeks.
For fans of the book series this is news that has been anticipated with bated breath for some time now. King has been talking bout adapting the novels for the silver screen on and off for decades, even attempting to get it going once or twice to no avail, until now.
The most exciting part about this news is the casting confirmations.
It’s official: The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed. #DarkTowerMovie @McConaughey @IdrisElba
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) March 1, 2016
Idris Elba has been hired for the role of The Gunslinger, Roland Deschain. A defender of Mid-World, racing questing towards a tower on the brink of the nexus in time and space. In an interview with EW, the co-writer and director of the film, Nikolaj Arcel, said, ““For me, it just clicked. He’s such a formidable man…we absolutely had all the same ideas and thoughts. He had a unique vision for who Roland would be.”
.@McConaughey you have one new follower. #DarkTowerMovie https://t.co/5fSKF02C7I
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) March 1, 2016
Matthew McConaughey has also been added to the cast, playing The Man In Black, a shadowy figure from Roland’s past. King says of the character, “I never really thought of him,” the author says. “But he becomes a character who isn’t just a mirage that Roland is chasing. The way things are set up, he’s right there.”
.@idriselba come and get me, I look forward to it. #DarkTowerMovie https://t.co/4gxqm2GPo3
— Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) March 1, 2016
The question many fans and critics have had is why this has taken so long. Stephen King gave us some insight into why, saying, “There were a lot of people who had trouble with that concept at first…It’s tough to get show-people to actually try something new, which is one of the reasons they’re so bent out of shape about Netflix, and Beasts of No Nation. But little by little, people started to get on board with the idea.”
This is the kind of franchise that could spawn a hardcore fandom. Mostly, we see post apocalyptic young adult novels adapted into film and take off due to the love for the books and whatever obsessive, chemically charged teenage phenomena that makes things explode. Could this be the next film to do that for the grown folks?
What do you think of Idris being cast in The Dark Tower? Is it a good look or nah?
