Stephen King’s extensive body of work hasn’t had a lot of trouble making the leap from page to screen. At least, most of his work. There have long been a few exceptions stuck in development hell. One of the most eagerly awaited is arguably The Dark Tower series. But, according to King himself, The Dark Tower fantasy western is on track to emerge from development hell, thanks to a director and two recently announced leads.
Idris Elba is set to play the protagonist gunslinger and Matthew McConaughey is set to play the antagonist Man in Black.
Nikolaj Arcel, of A Royal Affair and Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Swedish 2009) fame, has the director’s chair.
King, Elba and McConaughey have all tweeted somewhat in character following the announcement:
It’s official: The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed. #DarkTowerMovie @McConaughey @IdrisElba
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) March 1, 2016
.@McConaughey you have one new follower. #DarkTowerMovie https://t.co/5fSKF02C7I
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) March 1, 2016
.@idriselba come and get me, I look forward to it. #DarkTowerMovie https://t.co/4gxqm2GPo3
— Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) March 1, 2016
The Dark Tower books follow a gunslinger named Deschain tracking The Man in Black across an eccentric western-fantasy hybrid world with many colorful dangerous characters. King had originally imagined Clint Eastwood in the lead role, but seems perfectly happy with Elba’s casting. “I love it, I think he’s a terrific actor…one of the best working in the business now.
Keep your eyes on this one.
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Source: Twitter
