The Dark Tower (Film/TV adaptation)

[Ⓐaron]

The latest of about a bazillion attempts to film the series has been announced. People who have been attached to the project as directors/showrunners/producers at various periods of time involve Damon Lindelof, J. J. Abrams, and Ron Howard. I suspect any of them could have done a capable job, but the colossal budget required to film the project has been a prohibitive factor thus far. The latest attempt has some of the guys from Fringe attached, and I think they'd also do a fine job. It remains to be seen whether this latest attempt will succeed, but I remain sceptical. For me, the ideal format for filming this series would be to do a feature film for The Gunslinger (which is about the right length for one) and then do the rest of the books as an ongoing television series. HBO or AMC would probably do a good job with the series.

However, I'm not making this thread to talk about that. I'm making this thread to talk about casting.

Roland Deschain
Javier Bardem was at one point attached to play the gunslinger. I still think he'd do a good job. Russell Crowe has also been attached at one point; I'm more sceptical of him, but he might be able to deliver. Other suggestions I've seen that I think would work include Jon Hamm and Daniel Day-Lewis, though I think Day-Lewis would be an even better Flagg (so, for that matter, would Bardem, probably). Viggo Mortenson could also work.

Randall Flagg
Matthew McConaughey was rumoured to be attached to the concurrent The Stand adaptation, though it's not clear if this is actually happening. He'd do a good job for sure. I've seen the following suggestion: "Epitome of evil; highly persuasive (how else do you explain that marriage); and possessed of diabolical powers:

Spoiler

Tom Cruise

". Despite being an obvious joke, this would probably work well (although especially after Going Clear I'm really reluctant to watch anything involving anyone connected to Scientology). Bardem, suggested above for Roland, would also work really well (does anyone who has seen No Country for Old Men doubt this?). Jared Harris of Mad Men and Fringe has also been suggested, and I think that would be wonderful. I could also see Alan Rickman working well in the role. But Daniel Day-Lewis is still my ultimate dream choice for this role.

I do think whoever gets cast for The Stand should also play the role in The Dark Tower, assuming they fit well, mostly because it would be lovely to have something like the Marvel Cinematic Universe done for King's works (since that's how he wrote them in the first place).

Eddie Dean
I've seen Aaron Paul suggested for this role and it seems perfect.

The others
I'm not really sure. Haven't thought about it that much.

Anyway, curious to hear what other people think I'll probably post other thoughts about the series later.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Fix the fucking ending and I'm open to any of that.

 

[Ⓐaron]

The ending does suck. Then again, most of Stephen King's endings suck

 

[Tetsujin]

The ending sucks even when you end at the point where Stephen King warns you that the ending is gonna suck and you might as well stop.

 

[Ⓐaron]

To be honest, I liked the stuff after his warning more than most of the two books that preceded it. It could be read as kind of a Take That at readers who immediately restart books after finishing them. Some of the stuff before that, though, was just lazy or unfulfilling writing, such as

Spoiler

Flagg's anti-climactic death

. And yes, I get that he was trying to make a point about how evil isn't as powerful as it seems to be, but it still doesn't work for me in the context of the universe that had been built up to that point.

 

[Ite]

Three of my favorite books followed by asinine padding and rushed conclusions by a bitter success story. It's already a TV show called LOST.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

At least "LOST" had a good ending. Hell, even if you didn't like it, at least it had an ending. =P

 

[vaderSW1]

Dredging this thread back up.

I'm a really big Dark Tower fan and am cautiously looking forward to the forthcoming film adaptation. For those that aren't aware, the film is being directed by Nikolaj Arcel with the screenplay written by Akiva Goldsmith. I do believe Ron Howard is still attached to the project in some fashion as well. Idris Elba was cast as Roland Deschain and Matthew McConaughey was cast as Walter Padick.

From my understanding, it looks like they are going to make a trilogy of films adapting the 7 books from the Dark Tower series. The first film is due out in January 2017.

I'm extremely interested to see how much Goldsmith had to change and remove story elements to convert this into a trilogy of films. I wonder if the changes he makes will just destroy the integrity of the books. The Dark Tower is at the center of every Stephen King novel. Many characters from other King and Bachman works appear through The Dark Tower series. I wonder if Goldsmith wrote out some of these appearances.

I'm also intrigued by the casting of Elba in the role of Roland. I love Elba as an actor. It's an interesting choice to have him play "The Gunslinger" though. King himself has described Roland as being very much like young Clint Eastwood. Elba goes against that grain. King has come out in public support of the casting. I'm intrigued to see Elba's take on the character.

I'm happy with the casting of McConaughey as Walter though he would not have been my first choice. I hope he goes all in with it. Walter is very whimsical in the first Dark Tower novel and I think McConaughey has the acting chops to pull that off.

Is anybody else looking forward to this? Anybody else share my concerns?

 

[Ite]

McConaughy is a dead ringer for Flagg, I can't imagine a better choice.

As for Elba, I dunno, he isn't *wrinkled* enough? King makes such a point of telling us that Roland is Blondie from Good, Bad, 'n Ugly, and he lays out the specific details as to why: the crags in his cheeks that look like yawning chasms, the stubble like rolling hills of sand-paper. There's nothing that needs to be Caucasian about Roland, and if you can't get Eastwood (and ya can't cause Eastwood's too damn old) you might as well do something different... but the roughness of the Gunslinger's face is an image I will find hard to let go of. I think maybe Keith David might've been a closer look? But Elba has the star power, and his voice is aural sex, so okay.

All the racists are gonna scream, I set my watch and warrant on it. I hope Jake is black too so that Eddie can be the token white guy.

 

[Clement Rage]

That's going to make what they do with

Spoiler

Odette/Detta

very interesting, because she would react very differently to a black Roland, but most of that is probably going to be cut if it's a trilogy. I mean, a lot of the books have plenty of bloat, especially the later ones, but still, this is gonna be very hard to do in three movies. Casting in general doesn't bother me, I'll just wait and see.

 

[Ite]

Yeah where would you even end the films!? Even if you nix Wizard and Glass altogether, you still have six books, the last one could be a trilogy of its own! I would have the first one as a straight Gunslinger movie, you need time with Roland alone, and to have his bond with Jake. 2 and 3 could be one movie I GUESS but it would be weirdly disjointed, with the dimension door plot only taking up the first third of the movie. The last one would have to be a 4.5 hour, horribly paced speed run through books 5, 6, and 7. That would be the worst movie ever.

 

[Clement Rage]

I would have 1 and 2 in one movie, they bleed into each other with the Tarot Cards and the Doors. Do Wizard and Glass in flashbacks spread through all the other movies. Wolves of the Calla could be vastly shortened easily enough.

6 and 7 are where it gets really difficult.

Important Question: Who would you cast for

Spoiler

Stephen King

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

No one.

 

[Tetsujin]

 

[Hisako]

Fuuuuuuck

Yeah sure, why not

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Don't know how I missed this, but it was announced back in July that the films/TV series will actually be

Spoiler: (major spoiler for the books here; possibly the cinematic version as well)

a sequel to the books rather than a straight adaptation, and therefore may actually resolve the story.

It's also now been announced that the TV series will be an adaptation of "Wizard & Glass."

 

[Clement Rage]

I don't know if that's a brilliant twist or a massive copout. Or both.

 

[Ite]

^thats kind of how I felt about the Coda.

 

[Interslicery]

Can't imagine they'll include Blaine, which makes me sad.

 

[Tetsujin]

pssst, trailer leak

 

[Roger]

Not an expert on Dark Tower but the trailer has way more modern times stuff then I thought this movie would have.

 

[Cthulhu]

Same here. Also looks kinda drab and nondescript, neither sci-fi / fantasy nor western style, just something... bluh. Looks like a budget movie.

 

[Ite]

Okay so the entire movie is that one chapter from The Wastelands where Jake finds the rose?

 

[Tetsujin]

Spoiler: Poster

 

[Cthulhu]

I've no clue where this movie will go, I think I managed to read the first two books