It's been a long and winding road for The Dark Tower, especially when it comes to casting the lead role of Roland "The Gunslinger" Deschain. However, if recent reports are anything to go by, the frontrunner for the role is going to an actor that is both out of left field, yet absolutely perfect for the part. Prepare for possibility of Idris Elba's entry into the world of Stephen King.
While this is far from an official announcement, especially since the film is still waiting to be greenlit and no deals are in place just yet, sources in close enough capacity the production have spoken to a member of Deadline’s writing staff and stated that Elba is the top candidate for Roland in official circles. Even better is the fact that the piece goes on to specify that Matthew McConaughey, the previously announced candidate for both that role as well as that of the infamous Man In Black, will remain in talks for the latter role. Should Deadline's recent report check out, this is a potentially huge moment in Elba's career.
Not only is the series of films based off of King's The Dark Tower saga of seven books in the works, but so is the companion TV series mentioned in previous reports. While it's still up in the air how much or how exactly the television component will tie into the feature film piece of the puzzle, one could assume that with Idris Elba's casting it would be easier to tie the two together as tightly as possible. Elba's leading man qualities have branched out in cinematic efforts, such as his latest film Beasts Of No Nation; however, it is on the television where the English actor has truly built his fan base. Just ask anyone who's counting the days to the TV movie return of his famous detective character, Luthor. With experience in both film and television shooting schedules, it shouldn't be hard to transition Elba's talents back and forth with each passing project.
Of course, there's going to be "that" group of fans that will complain about the possible casting of Idris Elba as Roland Deschain, simply because the character originally was a white protagonist. Ignorant fanboy hatred aside, the casting of Elba for the lead role in Stephen King's answer to Lord Of The Rings, by way of Clint Eastwood western, is absolutely inspired. Not only can he play the badass with a gun in his hand and a quick word for his opponents, but he definitely can carry the more stoic qualities of Roland's character. More importantly, seeing Elba's Roland facing down against Matthew McConaughey's Man In Black is such a tasty proposition that we'd line up outside of Sony's offices, just to hear them announce their casting officially.
In the meantime, we have no clue when The Dark Tower's casting will be made official, but seeing as the project is drawing talent like Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey into the fold, every day that passes without an official update is a day wasted. With January 17, 2017 penciled in for the potential launch of Nikolaj Arcel's initial installment, those involved will have to work quickly, as this isn't the type of movie you rush into production. As soon as we hear any sort of confirmation, you can be sure we'll report the good news directly to you.
