It wasn't too long ago that Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey was being sought after for the role as the lead villain in the feature film adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand. They just might get it too, as Ron Howard and Brian Grazer now want McConaughey for their King flavored project, The Dark Tower; and for a role that's connected to both franchises.
McConaughey has been offered not one, but two roles in the would-be franchise, which is currently set up at Sony. Ultimately though, it's actor's choice on this part, and rarely do you ever hear of an actor being offered the actual choice to work as an agent of good or evil. The "good" role is, of course, Roland Deschain, also known as the legendary "Gunslinger" from which the first book takes its name. While we're not surprised that this is one of the roles that the actor has been offered, the second role reported is the one that really has us going. The Wrap has named that second part as the "Man In Black," which may not sound significant on the outside, but those who are familiar with King lore will recognize that this is one of many guises taken by Randall Flagg – King's baddie supreme, and the villain of The Stand.
Strangely enough, this was the exact same role that Matthew McConaughey was offered when he was being approached to star in the mini-series adaptation of The Stand, which is currently set up at Warner Bros. With the famous character taking several different guises throughout Stephen King's various works, it's easy for these two projects to remain separate entities. However, as we've seen with Sony's lending of the Spider-Man character out to Marvel Studios, there's a chance that the studio could co-operate in the same fashion this time around, and possibly deliver McConaughey to the Josh Boone directed mini-series.
Of course, this isn't discounting the fact that Roland Deschain would be a more than perfect fit for the weathered, yet handsome looks of McConaughey's cowboy persona. Reuniting Matthew McConaughey and his previous EdTV director, Ron Howard, would be a hell of a joy too – as both have gained even more professional ground since their last pairing. Also, to see McConaughey saddling up and kicking ass through a fantasy/western wasteland is something that sits so well with us, we're already signing up for riding lessons. Or, at the very least, contacting friends to plan to be first in line opening day.
Curiously enough, one big detail that still remains somewhat of a mystery in these conversations is the possibility of spreading the seven book adaptation through the realms of TV and Cinema, as the entire run was originally proposed as alternating between both mediums with each passing installment. As of the recent report, a "companion series" has been proposed, though it's uncertain whether this series would be a spin-off of original content, or a way to tell side stories that won't involve McConaughey's Roland. It's not like Matthew McConaughey is a stranger to both television and film, but you'd have to imagine that his schedule would be extremely limited, should he be totally involved on both ends.
The Dark Tower doesn't have a start date, but is currently slated for a January 13, 2017 release date.
