The Dark Tower

[TheeUndyingFan]

Well, it's official. The movie starts filming in seven weeks with Idris Elba as the Gunslinger and McConaghey as Flagg. Man, is there a million possible ways to **** this up, my hopes aren't high. I also read that the movie won't start chronologically with the first book, which sucks because the mythos in that first book was pretty good world building.

Anyway, thoughts?

 

[1COBearsfan]

Ooh, I'm sure I'll see it but I can't imagine it'll be better than what was running through my head while I was reading the books.

 

[airtime143]

There have been some real shit-shows made out of King books... not gonna hold my breath.

Great story overall, one of my favs.

I like the pick of elba for Roland... race is irrelevant overall to the story and Elba is good at giving stern performances... he can be really stoic. Also, he projects mild dissapointment and disgust well, which is almost a constant state for roland.

I love mcconaughey as Flagg... It fits flaggs attitude that he would use his magic to stay young and goodlooking with a joking sense of humor... Hopefully they can condense the story well.

I honestly think they could trim the susannah story to bare bones if they need to... or cut them out entirely if they must.

Also... I hope he keeps his fingers. Did-a-chick. **** the lobstrosities.

 

[airtime143]

The tweets in the link had me laughing.
Very well played by Elba.

 

[ShiftyDevil]

The only issue with having a black dude play Roland is the tension between Detta/Odetta/Susannah. Be a bit strange for her to be calling Idris Elba a honky. They're really going to have to re-do that whole dynamic.

Other than that I think the casting choices are pretty great. Idris Elba is one of my favorite actors and I think McConaughey will be a great Man in Black. I'm hoping for either Aaron Paul or Ben Foster as Eddie; not sure about Susannah or Jake.

I was really hoping this would be an HBO/Netflix series as cramming it into a movie is going to be really rough, that gives me way more pause than turning Clint Eastwood into Idris Elba. Maybe Josh Brolin could have pulled it off.

 

[DMelt36]

The only issue with having a black dude play Roland is the tension between Detta/Odetta/Susannah. Be a bit strange for her to be calling Idris Elba a honky. They're really going to have to re-do that whole dynamic.

Hadn't thought about this but it's a very good point. Wonder how the movie will handle that.

I also wonder what portions of the story this movie will cover. Pretty hard to get 7 books into one flick, although the one book that was essentially a flashback could probably be skipped over.

I'm very excited about this project, but I'm trying to keep my expectations low. This world was so bizarre (in a good way) that I have no idea how it'll translate to cinema.

 

[Desperado34]

The only issue with having a black dude play Roland is the tension between Detta/Odetta/Susannah. Be a bit strange for her to be calling Idris Elba a honky. They're really going to have to re-do that whole dynamic.

Other than that I think the casting choices are pretty great. Idris Elba is one of my favorite actors and I think McConaughey will be a great Man in Black. I'm hoping for either Aaron Paul or Ben Foster as Eddie; not sure about Susannah or Jake.

I was really hoping this would be an HBO/Netflix series as cramming it into a movie is going to be really rough, that gives me way more pause than turning Clint Eastwood into Idris Elba. Maybe Josh Brolin could have pulled it off.

It's bullshit. Not everyone who upset about Elba playing that role is 'racist', which is what so many want to claim. The fact is what we all imagined in the books. King wrote about Roland as if he was a cross of Clint Eastwood with piercing blue eyes, and the issue is indeed, Susannah.

I think it was a dumb move. Pisses me off like ' I am Legend'. Neville wasn't a damn will smith type actor, and that movie blew. He was supposed to be a more like darker role, hell I think Elba woul've been great in I am Legend.

King was quoted before as saying..“I visualized [Clint] Eastwood as Roland,” King says. “I loved the Spaghetti Westerns and all those widescreen close-ups of his face, especially the ones where he’d been left out in the desert and was all covered with blisters and sunburn. I thought, ‘That’s my Roland.’

lol

But Dark Tower, shocker, goes for the politically correct narrative. Kinda pathetic actually

 

[Desperado34]

Hadn't thought about this but it's a very good point. Wonder how the movie will handle that.

I also wonder what portions of the story this movie will cover. Pretty hard to get 7 books into one flick, although the one book that was essentially a flashback could probably be skipped over.

I'm very excited about this project, but I'm trying to keep my expectations low. This world was so bizarre (in a good way) that I have no idea how it'll translate to cinema.

I had a near tear in my eye when he brought up what happened to the priest/the boy/the writer(ben mears) from Salems(my favorite book next to The Stand).

Don't really care for this movie. Sounds lame. 1 movie and Roland is now a black dude even though when I was a kid he was always this rugged Vigo type of guy because King said so.

 

[Mitchapalooza]

I had a near tear in my eye when he brought up what happened to the priest/the boy/the writer(ben mears) from Salems(my favorite book next to The Stand).

Don't really care for this movie. Sounds lame. 1 movie and Roland is now a black dude even though when I was a kid he was always this rugged Vigo type of guy because King said so.

You're mad cause a white book character is black in the movie? Really? In the shawshank redemption book, Red was a white Irishman. In the movie, Morgan Freeman played him and did a wonderful job.

Who the **** cares.

 

[Desperado34]

You're mad cause a white book character is black in the movie? Really? In the shawshank redemption book, Red was a white Irishman. In the movie, Morgan Freeman played him and did a wonderful job.

Who the **** cares.

Obviously you haven't read the series.


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[ruprecht]

They are trying to do this in one movie?

 

[ShiftyDevil]

It's bullshit. Not everyone who upset about Elba playing that role is 'racist', which is what so many want to claim. The fact is what we all imagined in the books. King wrote about Roland as if he was a cross of Clint Eastwood with piercing blue eyes, and the issue is indeed, Susannah.

I think it was a dumb move. Pisses me off like ' I am Legend'. Neville wasn't a damn will smith type actor, and that movie blew. He was supposed to be a more like darker role, hell I think Elba woul've been great in I am Legend.

King was quoted before as saying..“I visualized [Clint] Eastwood as Roland,” King says. “I loved the Spaghetti Westerns and all those widescreen close-ups of his face, especially the ones where he’d been left out in the desert and was all covered with blisters and sunburn. I thought, ‘That’s my Roland.’

lol

But Dark Tower, shocker, goes for the politically correct narrative. Kinda pathetic actually

Yeah, but the problem with your argument is that you're a moron.

 

[airtime143]

The only issue with having a black dude play Roland is the tension between Detta/Odetta/Susannah. Be a bit strange for her to be calling Idris Elba a honky. They're really going to have to re-do that whole dynamic.

.

Talking to a buddy of mine last night and this point hit me. That was a pretty damn important part of the book- susannah was not racist, but Detta was.

Perhaps that will be trimmed as a movie shortening measure?

Her "struggle" could be trimmed to the physical handicap alone... the split personality was a fantastic story, but it could take an entire movie alone just to tell that story alone.

 

[TheeUndyingFan]

Roland can be the opposite of what Detta believes a black man should be and then problem solved on that front.

I can also see 'Wizard and Glass' being an HBO side series.

I think the first movie will be a mix of 'The Drawing Of the Three' with flashbacks of 'The Gunslinger.'

They've also said the movie will start with "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."

 

[airtime143]

Roland can be the opposite of what Detta believes a black man should be and then problem solved on that front.

I can also see 'Wizard and Glass' being an HBO side series.

I think the first movie will be a mix of 'The Drawing Of the Three' with flashbacks of 'The Gunslinger.'

They've also said the movie will start with "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."

The tweet from elba was damn funny in that regard- @ mcconaughey- You have a new follower

 

[Desperado34]

Roland can be the opposite of what Detta believes a black man should be and then problem solved on that front.

I can also see 'Wizard and Glass' being an HBO side series.

I think the first movie will be a mix of 'The Drawing Of the Three' with flashbacks of 'The Gunslinger.'

They've also said the movie will start with "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."

Not really looking forward to the movie to be quite honest.

Pumped for 11-22-63 tho


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[airtime143]

Not really looking forward to the movie to be quite honest.

Pumped for 11-22-63 tho


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I am signing up for Hulu just for that alone.

 

[DMelt36]

It's bullshit. Not everyone who upset about Elba playing that role is 'racist', which is what so many want to claim. The fact is what we all imagined in the books. King wrote about Roland as if he was a cross of Clint Eastwood with piercing blue eyes, and the issue is indeed, Susannah.

I think it was a dumb move. Pisses me off like ' I am Legend'. Neville wasn't a damn will smith type actor, and that movie blew. He was supposed to be a more like darker role, hell I think Elba woul've been great in I am Legend.

King was quoted before as saying..“I visualized [Clint] Eastwood as Roland,” King says. “I loved the Spaghetti Westerns and all those widescreen close-ups of his face, especially the ones where he’d been left out in the desert and was all covered with blisters and sunburn. I thought, ‘That’s my Roland.’

lol

But Dark Tower, shocker, goes for the politically correct narrative. Kinda pathetic actually

Or maybe they thought Elba was the best man for the role?

Just because King visualized a white guy as Roland doesn't mean the actor in the movie has to be white. And TheeUndyingFan just posted a rather easy way for them to address the issue that Odetta/Susannah had with Roland as a white guy. This post says more about you then anything else, really.

 

[Desperado34]

Or maybe they thought Elba was the best man for the role?

Just because King visualized a white guy as Roland doesn't mean the actor in the movie has to be white. And TheeUndyingFan just posted a rather easy way for them to address the issue that Odetta/Susannah had with Roland as a white guy. This post says more about you then anything else, really.

That I like when a novel stays close to the context of the book? Yes, how bigoted of me.

Or how about you read where I think Ilba would've been great as Neville in I Am Legend over Will friggin Smith(if you ever read that book).

It doesn't have to do with race, but when people dedicated years of their lives to this series and pictures Roland as a Eastwood type of look, it's kinda bullshit Hollywood changes it on you. Sorry not gonna apologize about it. But go on and say anyone who thinks such a thing must be a racist.

And uh no.. Most people are Viggo Mortensen would've been fantastic for this role.

And I'm not the only person pissed. Stephen Kings Facebook many people are disappointed in this announcement.


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[DMelt36]

That I like when a novel stays close to the context of the book? Yes, how bigoted of me.

Or how about you read where I think Ilba would've been great as Neville in I Am Legend over Will friggin Smith(if you ever read that book).

It doesn't have to do with race, but when people dedicated years of their lives to this series and pictures Roland as a Eastwood type of look, it's kinda bullshit Hollywood changes it on you. Sorry not gonna apologize about it. But go on and say anyone who thinks such a thing must be a racist.

And uh no.. Most people are Viggo Mortensen would've been fantastic for this role.

And I'm not the only person pissed. Stephen Kings Facebook many people are disappointed in this announcement.

I don't see how why the guy has to be white, though. Just doesn't seem like a big deal. :shrug:

And don't bullshit me, Desperado. You and I both know you were reading that book with Cutler in your head as Roland.