Bale, Bardem offered lead role in "Dark Tower"

Discuss the world of entertainment; movies, tv, journalism and radio.

Moderator: drizzle

User avatar
Combo7
Posts: 13805
Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2003 5:23 pm

Re: Bale, Bardem offered lead role in "Dark Tower"

Post by Combo7 »

King's disdain for the Kubrick movie has been well-known since the film's release.

Anyway, looks like McConaughey will be playing Flagg in The Stand. Can't think of a more perfect casting decision.

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/no ... adaptation" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

djjeffresh
Posts: 4259
Joined: Sun Dec 10, 2006 11:39 pm
Location: orlando

Re: Bale, Bardem offered lead role in "Dark Tower"

Post by djjeffresh »

mcconaughey is a great fit for RF

djjeffresh
Posts: 4259
Joined: Sun Dec 10, 2006 11:39 pm
Location: orlando

Re: Bale, Bardem offered lead role in "Dark Tower"

Post by djjeffresh »

no more HBO, but still looking like a movie-then-TV thing
A cinematic adaptation of Stephen King's epic fantasy series The Dark Tower has long gestated in Hollywood, moving from studio to studio and from proposed film franchise to planned TV series for nearly a decade. However, after Warner Bros. and HBO failed to bring King's novels to the big and small screen, Sony Pictures have announced that they'll now attempt to adapt King's self-proclaimed magnum opus as both a feature film and a television series.

Deadline reports that Sony Pictures and Media Rights Capital (MRC) have agreed to co-finance The Dark Tower with the hopes of turning King's eight-book saga into a multi-medium franchise. Inspired by The Lord of the Rings and spaghetti westerns, The Dark Tower follows gunslinger Roland Deschain's adventures through an alternate realm. The series' first book The Gunslinger, penned by King in 1982, will be the basis of the feature film.

"I'm excited that The Dark Tower is finally going to appear on the screen,” King said in a statement to Deadline. "Those who have traveled with Roland and his friends in their search for the Dark Tower are going to have their long-held hopes fully realized. This is a brilliant and creative approach to my books."

Dozens of King's novels have successfully transferred to the silver screen, from Carrie and Stand By Me to The Shawshank Redemption and The Shining (although King has long been critical of Stanley Kubrick's version). However, the scope of The Dark Tower has often made it too difficult to realize cinematically. Both J.J. Abrams and Ron Howard toyed with the idea of bringing the series to life – at one point, with Russell Crowe in the leading role – but eventually both directors surrendered the task.

Sony Pictures plans to resurrect screenwriters Akiva Goldsman and Jeff Pinkner's 2010 The Dark Tower script for the first installment, however no director or leading actor are attached yet. "There are few projects out there that compare with the scope, vision, complex characters and fully drawn world that Stephen King has created with The Dark Tower," Sony Pictures chairman Tom Rothman said in a statement. "I am a giant fan. And, as Stephen himself does, we love the direction that Akiva and Jeff have taken."

In an interview with Rolling Stone last year, King admitted that, even though he last published the series' eighth installment The Wind Through the Keyhole in 2012, "I'm never done with The Dark Tower. "The thing about The Dark Tower is that those books were never edited, so I look at them as first drafts," King said. "And by the time I got to the fifth or sixth book, I'm thinking to myself, 'This is really all one novel.' It drives me crazy."
http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news ... s-20150411" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

djjeffresh
Posts: 4259
Joined: Sun Dec 10, 2006 11:39 pm
Location: orlando

Re: Bale, Bardem offered lead role in "Dark Tower"

Post by djjeffresh »

looks like they got the director of the girl with the dragon tattoo at the helm

http://deadline.com/2015/06/the-dark-to ... 201436229/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

djjeffresh
Posts: 4259
Joined: Sun Dec 10, 2006 11:39 pm
Location: orlando

Re: Bale, Bardem offered lead role in "Dark Tower"

Post by djjeffresh »

REPORT: Idris Elba Frontrunner for Lead in ‘The Dark Tower’ Adaptation, McConaughey in talks for The Man in Black
http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2 ... daptation/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Truth.
Posts: 8004
Joined: Sun Mar 28, 2004 10:39 pm
Location: St. Louis

Re: Bale, Bardem offered lead role in "Dark Tower"

Post by Truth. »

One of the great untapped Stephen King properties is on its way to finally beginning production after years of false starts, dreamy rumors, and casting issues. The Dark Tower series, King’s famous story of a hero named The Gunslinger and his nemesis, The Man in Black, recently finally got a confirmed director in Nikolaj Arcel, who is best known for helming the Mads Mikkelsen-Alicia Vikander period drama A Royal Affair; he’s also co-penned the script for the film. And in a recent interview alongside King for EW, Arcel went on to confirm that the film will star none other than Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey in the coveted lead roles. Here’s what the writer-director had to say about both performers:

On Elba:

“For me, it just clicked. He’s such a formidable man…I had to go to Idris and tell him my vision for the entire journey with Roland and the ka-tet. We discussed, who is this character? What’s he about? What’s his quest? What’s his psychology? We tried to figure out if we saw the same guy. And we absolutely had all the same ideas and thoughts. He had a unique vision for who Roland would be.”

On McConaughey:

“Matthew is an incredible actor who can do anything. That’s how I feel about Walter Padick. He could do anything…He is this timeless sorcerer, and being a Stephen King fan, I’ve read and experienced Walter in various iterations. He has a very interesting way of seeing the world. He sees it with a sort of delight, even though he is obviously on the wrong side of the light-and-dark spectrum. He’s someone I’ve been having a lot of fun with.”

luther-idris-elba-03
Image via BBC

It’s been a long time since I personally picked up The Dark Tower series but Elba has been deserving of this sort of major franchise property for several years at this point; if Luther didn’t prove this, I don’t know what would. This, unfortunately, puts a likely damper on his chances of taking on the role of James Bond, a rumor that caused quite the kerfuffel late last year, around the time Spectre hit theaters. Regardless, if memory serves, Elba is the perfect choice for his role, and to see McConaughey in all-out villain mode is that rare treat that has been long overdue for a second helping. If you’ve been lucky enough to see William Friedkin‘s damn-near-perfect Killer Joe, you’ll know what I mean.

During the interview, King confirmed that the film will begin in the middle of the novel’s story, but will encompass the entire storyline that fans have come to love over the years. Meanwhile, Arcel mentioned that the film is set to begin shooting in under two months in South Africa, keeping eyes set on a January 13th, 2017 release date, which means we’re under a year away from seeing the finished product. It’s a tight deadline for release but Arcel seems to have his hands firmly around this thing. Speaking like a true fan, Arcel commented on why he thinks The Dark Tower is quintessential Stephen King, settling out many fears of this being a possible botch job:

“What Stephen King does best is mixing the everyday, or what you might call the mundane, with the fantastical…In my view, [The Dark Tower] novels are a mix between sci-fi and fantasy and modern times. That exact mix is so Stephen King.”

Spartan
Posts: 12800
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2004 9:29 am
Location: The Slaughtered Lamb
Contact:

Re: Bale, Bardem offered lead role in "Dark Tower"

Post by Spartan »

Image

alpha
Posts: 13704
Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2004 5:53 pm
Location: San Jose, CA
Contact:

Re: Bale, Bardem offered lead role in "Dark Tower"

Post by alpha »

Still don't get how they're gonna do this in one movie.

drizzle
Awesome Vatican Assassin
Posts: 55482
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2005 2:55 pm
Location: where people throw ducks at balloons and nothing is as it seems

Re: Bale, Bardem offered lead role in "Dark Tower"

Post by drizzle »

I thought this was supposed to be a series of movies or something

curious how they will adapt some of the specifics in this day and age... the Detta/Odetta stuff is not gonna look good in these woke times

still, that pic is pretty awesome
http://www.steadybloggin.com - some of these are my thoughts yo

Larry2times
Posts: 2495
Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2012 8:38 pm

Re: Bale, Bardem offered lead role in "Dark Tower"

Post by Larry2times »

McConaugheys a good fit for Walter, the articles right about him and Killer Joe. even just his face is as creepy as I pictured it

also yeh wtf how is this gonna be a standalone film, Idve thought maybe the og Gunslinger but thats too weird/not as good as the rest and judging by the pic thats not what theyre doing anyways

A big departure from the plot while maintaining some of the world/characters could still be good though cos its cool af, like theres way more that could be done w it anyways and the books always said they (walter esp) got up to all sorts that wasnt covered

alpha
Posts: 13704
Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2004 5:53 pm
Location: San Jose, CA
Contact:

Re: Bale, Bardem offered lead role in "Dark Tower"

Post by alpha »

I've read they'll be more films if this one is successful. There's all kinds of articles up on EW.

Spartan
Posts: 12800
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2004 9:29 am
Location: The Slaughtered Lamb
Contact:

Re: Bale, Bardem offered lead role in "Dark Tower"

Post by Spartan »

Can't really explain why, but this pic is pure comedy:

Image

drizzle
Awesome Vatican Assassin
Posts: 55482
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2005 2:55 pm
Location: where people throw ducks at balloons and nothing is as it seems

Re: Bale, Bardem offered lead role in "Dark Tower"

Post by drizzle »

because they frankensteined faces and body parts from like 4 different sources and they don't really match well
http://www.steadybloggin.com - some of these are my thoughts yo

drizzle
Awesome Vatican Assassin
Posts: 55482
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2005 2:55 pm
Location: where people throw ducks at balloons and nothing is as it seems

Re: Bale, Bardem offered lead role in "Dark Tower"

Post by drizzle »

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/07/14/da ... e-susannah" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Eddie and Susannah are not in the movie and apparently it's kind of a reboot based on the first book
http://www.steadybloggin.com - some of these are my thoughts yo

Larry2times
Posts: 2495
Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2012 8:38 pm

Re: Bale, Bardem offered lead role in "Dark Tower"

Post by Larry2times »

The first book is actually p good adaptation material for a big epic series since it works on its own, test the waters

dunno why but i feel like this could work w multiple actors playing the roles as it progresses like that Bob Dylan film, maybe its cos its so long i unno

Post Reply