Stephen King's THE DARK TOWER

[Seph Stampede]

Wow.....what a treat for the DT fans, a movie adaptation thats new for those who, have read it, and retains the story core for those who did not.....that might be the best twist to the long story that is the making of this film......

I'm sure as hell feeling a lot more optimistic about it now.

 

[SNIKT1950]

McConaughey looks awesome as Randall.

 

[EVILFACE]

He does. He slow talking will work wonders.

 

[YoNoSe]

The Walken Dude.

 

[SNIKT1950]

He does. He slow talking will work wonders.

He was born to play this role.

I've wanted him for Randall since I watched KILLER JOE (2011) so when I heard he was actually playing him I was blown away.

 

[Seph Stampede]

He looks perfect. Wasn't he linked to The Stand a few years back? It'd be kind of cool if he reprised Randall Flagg in that flick too.

 

[SNIKT1950]

He looks perfect. Wasn't he linked to The Stand a few years back? It'd be kind of cool if he reprised Randall Flagg in that flick too.

Yeah, he was originally cast for THE STAND but they decided to do that film after THE DARK TOWER series. McConaughey signed on to appear in all of the upcoming Stephen King adaptations that feature Flagg.

Wouldn't be surprised if they figure out a way to put him in IT.

 

[Seph Stampede]

Yeah, he was originally cast for THE STAND but they decided to do that film after THE DARK TOWER series. McConaughey signed on to appear in all of the upcoming Stephen King adaptations that feature Flagg.

Wouldn't be surprised if they figure out a way to put him in IT.

So are they planning a King shared universe? That's cool.

 

[Buttmunch]

Elba is a great actor, but being a fan of the books (read them all), I don't really like the race change as I've always perceived Roland as he's depicted in the books and subsequent art and other material like the Marvel comics.

That being said - Roland's race is really irrelevant at the end of the day since it doesn't have much bearing on his character other than his physical description. Susannah/Odetta/Detta's race does so due to her multiple personalities and how each of those personalities are depicted...especially the 'Detta' personality that is overtly hateful towards white people and described as being 'stereotypical black'. Granted, the movie could completely change this and cast someone of another race but I hope they keep the personalities largely in line with the actresses' ethnicity.

I attended a King event a few weeks ago where he was promoting his newest book. One of the questions the audience asked was what he could tell us about the Darktower movie. He of course brought up Idris Elba as Roland. He said the only psychical description he gave Roland was that he had blue eyes. He said that he just always assumed Roland was white because he (King) is white. He seemed quite thrilled with the idea Roland could be interpreted a different way and he was real pleased with Idris. I wish he would have said if he would be playing himself though

So if King is happy with the casting, who am I to complain. Sure, Scott Eastwood would have been a perfect choice for those picturing Clint Eastwood all of these years, but it won't really matter much in the end IMO.

I would LOVE if they did a shared universe of King stories. That's one thing I've always enjoyed about his books. They're all connected and there are great Easter Eggs thrown in here and there that the Constant Reader will pick up on and everyone else will just see them as throw away background info. Having Flagg in multiple films played by the same guy would be HUGE in establishing that. Flagg could be the Nick Fury for King films

 

[Seph Stampede]

I attended a King event a few weeks ago where he was promoting his newest book. One of the questions the audience asked was what he could tell us about the Darktower movie. He of course brought up Idris Elba as Roland. He said the only psychical description he gave Roland was that he had blue eyes. He said that he just always assumed Roland was white because he (King) is white. He seemed quite thrilled with the idea Roland could be interpreted a different way and he was real pleased with Idris. I wish he would have said if he would be playing himself though

He may not have ever described Roland as white, but it's hard to see him as black when Detta is calling him a honky over and over.

That said, there's no good reason to be opposed to a black Roland anymore. The arguments were always iffy at best before we knew anything about the direction of the film, but taking into account King's 'Last time around' tweet, there's just no arguments.

 

[Buttmunch]

He did address that and said it would be fun to make her a white supremacist in this version

I think its great King is all for the change and isn't upset by it like some authors might be. JK Rowling did the same thing lately with the black Hermione in the play stating she never did say what race Hermione was in the books either, so why not? I mean some authors even hate the idea of their works being adapted into films in the first place so its great to see them OK with some changes that may or may not be changes, but just alternate perceptions. I think they are both smart enough to let filmmakers do what they want to do with their stories because nothing they do will ever remove the book from existence. People can enjoy the original and/or the adaption and go home happy.

I am curious to see if they do take the sort of sequel route with this rather than a straight adaption. Is this supposed to just be one film for a start of a series? They seem to go back on forth on that from what I've read.

 

[Seph Stampede]

He did address that and said it would be fun to make her a white supremacist in this version

I think its great King is all for the change and isn't upset by it like some authors might be. JK Rowling did the same thing lately with the black Hermione in the play stating she never did say what race Hermione was in the books either, so why not? I mean some authors even hate the idea of their works being adapted into films in the first place so its great to see them OK with some changes that may or may not be changes, but just alternate perceptions. I think they are both smart enough to let filmmakers do what they want to do with their stories because nothing they do will ever remove the book from existence. People can enjoy the original and/or the adaption and go home happy.

Right on. People who freak out when a bad/unsatisfying adaptation or remake occurs acting like it destroys and ruins the original art. Just, no. It really doesn't.

I am curious to see if they do take the sort of sequel route with this rather than a straight adaption. Is this supposed to just be one film for a start of a series? They seem to go back on forth on that from what I've read.

I hope the story has familiar beats, but honestly, they could do literally anything with it now and that'd be totally fine. It's been a little while since I last read the series, but there's nothing to suggest that

Spoiler

Roland is accompanied by the same Ka-Tet each time he quests for the Tower

so I don't see any reason why the film really needs to cover the same ground and feature characters like Eddy or Susannah. To be honest, knowing the direction they're taking it, I'd almost prefer it to be wildly different to the books. I'd prefer to have the Battle of Tull and Blaine the Mono kept in, but **** it, I'll take anything.

 

[Seph Stampede]

Some new snaps of Elba on set as Roland.

Still unsure about the costuming here. I like that it recalls the Old-West but it's still got an identity, the vest especially is like nothing from that period, and I think the overall aesthetic is good, but it just doesn't looked lived-in and worn. It should be ragged and filthy. I also always figured the duster to be more brown than black/grey. But it's all about context, I suppose. We'll see if the movie justifies the design.



Rest of the photos here: https://www.justjared.com/2016/07/02/idris-elba-spotted-as-the-gunslinger-on-dark-tower-nyc-set/

 

[abake]

Hmmm... yeah.
I see none of the "old "west" aesthetic that I always assumed was the look of Roland's world.

 

[EVILFACE]

"Where is my damn horn of Eld."

 

[Johnny Utah]

Is there still issues with King and licensing? I'd love figures of both Elba and McConaughey.

 

[Gully Foyle]

Hmmm... yeah.
I see none of the "old "west" aesthetic that I always assumed was the look of Roland's world.

The Roland Deschain Collection by Armani:

"Roland wears a distressed leather duster designed by the Harley Davidson Emporium of Sturgis paired with an Egyptian cotton vest with multi-buckle harness over a Yves Saint Laurent white textured stripe cotton point collar Dress Shirt. His boots are Bruno Magli Raspino Nappa with side zippers. His ensemble is completed with a handbag by Fendi."


Pic from Gilead set:

"Thrill to the adventures of Roland, The Last Gunslinger as he travels the blasted dystopian wastes of Mid-World in search of the finest fashion houses and clothing designers left after the world moved on from the Milan catwalks.
In a world lacking mechanized labor and seamstresses, how will our hero endure to find the perfect bespoke suit?"

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[YoNoSe]

Eh, he looks good. Movie costume design > thread comedy.

 

[Aliaz]

The outfit should definately look more worn and dirty and less fancy design.

 

[Gully Foyle]

Perhaps this version of Roland visits Planet Hollywood in NYC to liberate Jackman's Van Helsing wardrobe:

Of course he'll be seated at booth 19 . . .

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