Nail on the head.
But leave Larry alone. He's mine in my own head.
But leave Larry alone. He's mine in my own head.
Elba's Casting CONFIRMED?!!
- Thread starter OldDarth
- Start date
-
This message board permanently closed on June 30th, 2020 at 4PM EDT and is no longer accepting new members.
Elba? No, he's not Roland. I think Roland is Christian Bale and the Man In Black is Tom Hiddleston. That would be great.
I think Roland should be Bill Murray. Jake can be that little kid from differnt strokes, Suze can be any blonde model, and Eddie can be a pointing backstreet guy.
Robert Gray
Well-Known Member
Actually, I've seen Kurt Russel play the heavy, grim stoic as well as comedy. He has serious range and looks the right age and still tough as nails at that age. All in all, I think Kurt Russel would make a great Roland.
This just chaps my ass. Idris is an outstanding actor, but he's NOT ROLAND -- in any way, shape or form. To change the main character's race, especially when it's central to the entire story, is just idiotic in the extreme. I'm NOT racist, so don't even go there. My entire concern is the complete change, if not reversal, in the story's dynamic. I'm an old-school Dark Tower fan. I read the first book 25 years ago, and patiently waited for each successive novel. I, like so many other true Dark Tower fans, have invested so much more than just money into these stories, and to have the very fundamentals of the story turned upside-down completely ruins it. Where I was once very excited to see the Dark Tower saga FINALLY hit the big screen, when I heard Idris is playing Roland, it just ruined it for me. I won't watch any of the movies. The change is just too much. Too big and too weird. Roland should be played by either, Hugh Jackman, Viggo Mortensen, or Christian Bale. Maybe a few others could pull it off, but not Idris -- no way. And again, this has nothing to do with racism, and everything to do with staying true to the story. Stephen King said himself that the character Roland was based on Clint Eastwood. So why is he being such a sissy about all this? Because he wants to be politically and socially correct. If he spoke out and said, Hey, no way! Roland can't be black! That changes the story too much!" He would be ostracized and publicly bashed for being a racist. Akiva Goldsman even says that anyone who doesn't think Idris should be cast as Roland is a racist ******* and should go F themselves. Goldsman has ensured that the movie will flop, and they won't make a second movie, or TV series, because they won't want to take another big loss. No true Dark Tower fan will like this weird casting choice for Roland, and like me, they won't even watch the movie. It's just too drastic a change to the original story-line. The only people who will like this movie are the people who have never read the books. To them, it doesn't matter what the main character looks like, or how he was portrayed in the books. The story is new to them. For us old-school Dark Tower fans, the casting choice for Roland ruins the whole thing.
Dempsey, Dempsey, Dempsey -- tell us how you really feel. I'm not saying I don't agree with you, but I think creative things can come from Idris. Not our beloved story, but an adaptation that can still be terrific.
Kurt Russell is one bad-*ss motherf*cker in Death Proof! He is charming and at the same time gives off a lethal vibe. I never thought of him in the role of Roland, but he would be excellent. Good call!
Agree on both those. He was so chilling in Death Proof. He totally pulled that off.
TWSS!!!
Yep, Ol' Kurt still has some bad-*ss in him after all this time. I was watching the 'extras' on my dvd of Death Proof and found out that he did a lot of his stunts in the movie- driving 70 to 80 miles an hour while ramming the other car on that dirt road, etc. He IS a bad mother.......
Really? Wow. He was scary as hell.TWSS!!!
Whew. My fingers hurt for you typing that..
Not our beloved story....so don't call it by the same title. If you are rewriting a story, rewrite the title.
Like I said, Idris is an outstanding actor. Loved him in Thor, Prometheus, Pacific Rim, and many others. However, I just can't accept Idris playing Roland. It drastically changes the dynamic of the story, and it's the furthest thing from being true to the story possible. It absolutely ruins the Dark Tower movie for all of us old-school fans. If they're going to change the story so immensely, they should also change the title. Casting Idris as Roland is like doing a remake of the movie Roots, and casting Tom Cruise as Koonta Kintay. I know, that's a bit extreme, but equally ridiculous as Idris playing Roland. I don't blame people for liking this idea of Idris playing Roland, but those are people who have invested little or nothing into The Dark Tower. For fans like me -- fans who have been there since the beginning, and waited patiently for each successive novel, this drastic casting choice completely ruins the movie. And I'm fairly positive the movie will flop miserably. The core audience -- Dark Tower fans -- will not be accepting of Idris, either, and not because of racism, but because it's just too far removed from the story we love.
I'm a professional writer. That little post was a just a warm-up.
I see you are as passionate about The Dark Tower as I am. That's awesome. It really bothers me that Goldsman has cast Idris as Roland. It's such an obvious mismatch, as well as a monumental mistake. I just can't see any true Dark Tower fans being okay with Goldsman's choice for Roland. His ill-thought out choice will guarantee the film flops. And I'm very frustrated with Stephen King for his, "I don't care what color The Gunslinger is, as long as he can draw fast," statement. I know he's only being politically and socially correct. He can't possibly build a character like Roland, shape him based on Clint Eastwood (appearance and demeanor), and then be okay with that very character looking like Sydney Poitier. A great actor, but he's no Clint Eastwood. Anyway, it's good to see others who are just as passionate about The Dark Tower as me. Hope your day is a good one!
Robert Gray
Well-Known Member
There isn't much sense in blaming the author (who wrote the books we love) for the films. King already gave us a great gift. The fact that Hollywood means to squander it, isn't the original giver's fault. That would be like blaming Santa Clause for not including a custom carrying case for the brand new smart phone you find under the tree. It is ungrateful. All of us, who haven't written and published successful novels like to kid ourselves that we wouldn't sell the rights away and give up our control, but we all know better in our hearts. I am just as passionate about the issue as you, but I'm pragmatic too. They can't take the books from us, and I can always choose not to see the film. Seems like win/win to me. Eventually, the true story will get translated to the screen. It is just a matter of patience. Patience and not rewarding them for mediocrity. If people go out in droves to watch the rewrite, they have no impetus to do the real thing.
I wonder if we could crowd fund an animated version? Just a thought.
I mostly agree, but who is blaming Stephen King? Certainly not me. Perhaps you only skimmed my comment. I am upset that Stephen didn't stand up and say, "No Way!" And that he made his appeasing comment about not caring what color the gunslinger is, as long as he draws fast. That's not blaming him for the ridiculous casting of Roland. I blame Goldsman for that. Have you published anything professionally, Robert? I know you're generalizing, but I am a professional writer, published 37 times over (and not even a bug-fart compared to King, just so you know. I'm not a well-known writer). However, I fully understand what it's like to have your work changed in a way the writer doesn't like. I went through this when one of my stories was published on audio. This is why Stephen remade The Shining. He was very displeased with Kubrick's version (and mostly because Kubrick butchered King's story) which is why he made his own version that was true to the book.
Dempsey Wilson only repeated what King has been quoted as saying publicly. He's not "blaming" him for the film.
Robert Gray
Well-Known Member
I apologize then, although that still sound a bit like you are blaming him. What good would it do for him to say that? Do you think he could stop them?