Stephen Kings "Dark Tower" Film/TV Series

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by rontoon, Apr 10, 2015.

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  1. rontoon

    rontoon Animaniac Thread Starter

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  2. tommy-thewho

    tommy-thewho Senior Member

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    Great news.

    One of my fav. series..

    Hugh Jackman would make a good Roland...
     
  3. rontoon

    rontoon Animaniac Thread Starter

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    Highland Park, USA
    I'd prefer Josh Brolin, Viggo Mortenson, or even Timothy Oliphant as Roland.
     
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  4. tommy-thewho

    tommy-thewho Senior Member

    Location:
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    All good choices there rontoon.

    Surprised there aren't more responses to a great series.
     
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  5. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

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    I could see any of those. King himself said he imagined a 35-year-old Clint Eastwood in the title role. Hell, Scott Eastwood is 29 and a pretty happening actor. He could actually do it!
     
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  6. P(orF)

    P(orF) Forum Resident

    I'm guessing that the actor who will eventually play Roland is still in the gestational,stage.
     
  7. Ghostworld

    Ghostworld Senior Member

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    The series is good, but kinda weird, too. Loved the gunslinger and about the next two books. Then it just started seeming like nonsense.
     
  8. jh901

    jh901 Forum Resident

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    PARRISH FL USA
    I read The Gunslinger many, many years ago. I can't recall if I made through the next two, but I think I did. Anyhow, whatever came after I didn't read.

    I'll be interested to see a feature film revolving around The Gunslinger, but what's the deal with the complementary TV series?
     
  9. Coricama

    Coricama Classic Rocker

    Location:
    Marietta, GA
    If this takes as long to come to a completion as the books did, I'll be dead.
     
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  10. tommy-thewho

    tommy-thewho Senior Member

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    Maybe if HBO did a series on this with each book being one season. Similar to Game of Thrones.
     
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  11. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

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    Too old. Roland Deschain in the book is maybe early 30s. Jackman is 46.

    [​IMG]

    I'll tell you who could be very good: bear in mind that Stephen King imagined Clint Eastwood from The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly from 1966, when Clint was in his prime. If you started the movies right now and wanted somebody who would age gracefully over the next ten years, the guy to hire is... Scott Eastwood, Clint's son, who is 29.

    Another guy who is a dead ringer for him is Andrew Lincoln, better known as "Sheriff Rick" in The Walking Dead.
     
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  12. jlc76

    jlc76 Forum Resident

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    Austin, TX, U.S.A.
    http://www.theguardian.com/film/201...ephen-king-the-dark-tower-matthew-mcconaughey

    My wife told me the other day that Idris Elba is being considered for Roland. I think he's an amazing actor, I loved his work in the Wire, and Luther and he was even good in minor roles he had in a couple of big budget action films. I know earlier this year there was controversy about him being the next Bond and I thought he would be an excellent choice.

    All that being said...I really hope he is not cast as Roland. I have no doubt he would do a good job but in my mind Roland is basically Clint Eastwood from his spaghetti westerns. Obviously he's too old to play Roland now but I think Vidiot's suggestion of Andrew Lincoln is pretty good other than he's not that tall. I think Alexander Skarsgard might be able to pull off the role better but he might not look rough enough to do it.

    Anyway, I'm not sure if this project is even doable. So much of the books, especially the first few, took place in the head of Roland and there just isn't a lot of dialog. A good friend of mine who turned me on to these books (it only took me 20 years to take his advice and read them) hopes they never make movies or TV shows about the series.
     
  13. rontoon

    rontoon Animaniac Thread Starter

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    Oh boy. I don't know how I feel about this. Apparently King is fine with this choice and is more concerned with "the speed of his draw than the color of his skin."
     
  14. jlc76

    jlc76 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin, TX, U.S.A.
    Yeah, the color of his skin shouldn't be and isn't an issue it's the way the character looks in most people's minds. If there had never been any books and this was just a screenplay then I'm sure it would work great and it will work great for anyone who hasn't read the books. It's almost like making the Tyrion character from Game of Thrones a regular sized person rather than a dwarf. I was also upset when Russell Crow was rumored to be cast as Roland too. I will say one thing, as long as it's not someone like Tom Cruise or Ryan Gosling. Timothy Olyphant (Justified) or Anson Mount (Hell on Wheels) would work too, although Anson is a little on the short side.
     
  15. rontoon

    rontoon Animaniac Thread Starter

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    Highland Park, USA
    It's not the color of his skin but the dynamics between character. This really changes the early relationship between Detta and Roland who she hates because of the color of his skin. Of course the change would be just one of many of the adaptations from novels to screen.

    But Holy Crap! I did a bit of searching on the choice of Eldris and the amount of racist garbage that's posted out there is astonishing. Reminds me of this scene from Blazing Saddles.

     
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  16. I'd be fine if they forgot about Detta altogether.
     
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  17. rontoon

    rontoon Animaniac Thread Starter

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    That happening doesn't have a leg to stand on.
     
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  18. ad180

    ad180 Forum Resident

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    USA
    As much as I want it to be great, I just don't have faith in a film adaptation. I would prefer that the images in these books stay in my mind.
     
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  19. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

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    I liked Wolves of the Calla (Book 5), which was the one where they basically had robotic werewolves riding horses and kidnapping children from a local village and doing genetic experiments on them, turning them into misshapen brain-damaged creatures. It sounds worse than it is -- it's a very entertaining story, and I've actually read the book a couple of times. The kid gunslinger, Jake, has the best part in that entire book. That's damned good writing.

    Looking at Ron Howard's last few movies, I'm not sure he's the right guy to be doing these movies. :sigh:
     
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  20. LEONPROFF

    LEONPROFF Forum Resident

    After the first season of True Detective I would be up for a Matthew M. Roland, but Idris can do no wrong. Everything I have seen him in he brings something to the character that just jumps off the screen. There is enough hate in Detta Walker so Roland's skin color is not going to matter. Pretty funny Rontoon!
     
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  21. rontoon

    rontoon Animaniac Thread Starter

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    Highland Park, USA
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  22. Ghostworld

    Ghostworld Senior Member

    Location:
    US
    I always saw Roland as kinda lean and wiry, that guy Idris is huge, isn't he? It's a weird casting choice as every image of Roland in every book definitely paints him as a Clint Eastwood type. Idris is an okay actor. I watched that recent BBC series of his with the weird supervillain woman. He's not great, but okay. I just always saw Roland as the typical western man of few words, whereas Idris always plays a big thundering character. Also, will Roland now have a British accent?
     
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2016
  23. Ghostworld

    Ghostworld Senior Member

    Location:
    US
    Yeah, I hated her character almost throughout.
     
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  24. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

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    I think the casting is a bad idea and I think the choice of writers is a bad idea. But that's me. I would've rather they hired a 30-year-old American who's closer to the ideal of the book based on his descriptions in the novel and on the cover. Idris Elba is a fine actor, but he's not the guy I saw in my head when I read 7 books. He's also 43, which is high on that age range: Clint Eastwood was 34 when he did Fistful of Dollars, which is who I saw in my mind's eye (and what King himself said for 20 years).
     
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  25. jlc76

    jlc76 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin, TX, U.S.A.
    I couldn't agree more Vidiot. Idris is capable of doing a fine job with this role, so long as the writing and directing are equal to his talent, but it won't be the same experience as what we had from the books. I guess that's ok because so many adaptations are like that, the Hobbit and Game of Thrones are two recent examples. You get something unique and different from each medium in those cases. Had Idris's stock not been on the rise I'm sure he wouldn't have been chosen but I have to remember this is a business and Hollywood isn't looking first to satisfy some fantasy geek readers ideals of who should be cast, but rather who will help sell more tickets.
     
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