IDRIS ELBA, YES YES YES

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OldDarth

Well-Known Member
Jul 10, 2006
730
2,994
Canada
Oh, I see now there is an issue with Susannah and racial issues.

I don't see that as a problem at all. Detta/Odetta didn't see things as they were, she saw them as she thought they were. She could easily see Roland as white and she could easily behave in exactly the same manner. Because it was never actually about Roland, it was always about herself. I don't see there being a need to change anything. I see this as being very simple.

Quite so!

And welcome aboard this crazy train!
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
87,651
358,754
62
Cambridge, Ohio
3d310b4a58661c9ed9716cb25388ef91.jpg
 

SHEEMIEE

Well-Known Member
Nov 15, 2010
1,315
5,574
my very own Elba in the garden, complete with all working parts and new eagle eye features. unfortunately , somebody stole the head from the packaging - but I'm working on it
img_7476.jpg

and until the movie is out,when they release the limited edition box set Engines of Eld, the Sandalwoods are more like party poppers in his mitts.
Onto the head moulding!!
 

not_nadine

Comfortably Roont
Nov 19, 2011
29,655
139,785
Behind you
my very own Elba in the garden, complete with all working parts and new eagle eye features. unfortunately , somebody stole the head from the packaging - but I'm working on it
img_7476.jpg

and until the movie is out,when they release the limited edition box set Engines of Eld, the Sandalwoods are more like party poppers in his mitts.
Onto the head moulding!!

He's awesome. Are you putting an Elba head on him??
 

MrGeekBoi

New Member
Sep 22, 2016
2
13
43
Hello, I'm a new poster here. Just found this site and I look forward to many great conversations.

I think Idris Elba is a great actor, and a great choice for Roland. While he may not fit the physical description to a Tee, the actor does have a gravitas and persona that could equally convey the inner qualities of Roland. His characterizations in The Wire, Luther and a plethora of films more than show his range, and in many photos of him, while he does seem more built like a linebacker than graceful and tall as Roland is described, the man has an overbearing presence and a gaze that cuts into your soul. If ever an actor - regardless of race - could play Roland perfectly, Elba would be it.

I have seen a number of concerns on this board as to whether the first film will or will not include Susannah, Eddie, etc. Whether it will be reductionist or even deconstructionist, some have even argued that this could not be canon because of the changes being made to it. Perhaps it will not be canon to the books, as written, but as Sai King himself so often reflects film and books are two separate things. Like apples and oranges each are delicious but each has a flavor all its own. To wit, the films don't NEED to be canon, and most likely should not be.

Certain stories such as Harry Potter are written almost fully-formed and can be filmed almost as written. The Exorcist is also a very good example, as the dialogue and scenarios were translated to film almost word-for-word with only a minor subplot removed. And yes, there are some very cinematic elements to The Dark Tower series which I do find myself hoping they will lift whole-cloth from the books. Scenes like the shoot-outs in Balazar's Leaning Tower Club, and the one in the Maine general store in 1977. The scene with Stephen King - hell any of the longer talking scenes, the palaver with Walter in the Golgotha of bones, the chase under the mountains.

All that being said, if they find ways to make this a sequel (as King has also gone on records as stating the intention of the film will be), I will be very interested to see how they lift elements from all through the series and settle them into one production. The initial production must, by the nature of the general audience, be reductive but it can also be deep and clever. It must reach out to a new audience, people who have never read the books, and give them a taste of what the series will truly be about, as there is a long haul here and the creative team for the film has the daunting task of both giving the fan base what they want and making a case for new viewers as to why they should invest in this story.

Lifting an rearranging the elements of the film, thus deconstructing the story need not take away from the political, social, philosophical and moral statements the original stories made, although it will be a challenge for any writer and/or director to arrange these statements into a new whole. I think they are smart for making the first film like the first book - just Jake and Roland. Hopefully we will get story elements like Tull, King has already said he's solid in insisting the film start with the line, "The man in black fled across the desert, and the Gunslinger followed," and I am hoping to see the slow mutants and the Way Station. But with the other elements they have confirmed will be there - Titana, Susan, the Mansion on Dutch Hill and numerous other things from throughout the books, I have a feeling the film will be structured with the same dreamlike, hazy quality the first book was, and perhaps will have jumps in time - flashbacks, flashback-within-flashback, stream of consciousness, and many of the other elements that have made this series great, and were so present in the first film.

As to the racial elements between Susannah/Detta/Odetta, Eddie and Roland - even with a black Roland there is still the possibility for a statement to be made there. Perhaps even to strike a deeper chord with this. It has been suggested (not here but in many quarters) that Detta could call Roland an Uncle Tom. But this is more a surface detail. There can still be racial tension brought about by the fact that Roland is a constabulary, that he travels with White Folk (if he indeed does call Eddie first in this iteration). It could be a sharper dagger for Detta's mind, the idea that a white dude and a black dude are working together. There is still so much that can be done with the material, even with a Roland of a different color.

Well, that's all I have to say for now. Hope to hear yon tet's thoughts on this, may it do ya. Long days and pleasant nights.
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
87,651
358,754
62
Cambridge, Ohio
Hello, I'm a new poster here. Just found this site and I look forward to many great conversations.

I think Idris Elba is a great actor, and a great choice for Roland. While he may not fit the physical description to a Tee, the actor does have a gravitas and persona that could equally convey the inner qualities of Roland. His characterizations in The Wire, Luther and a plethora of films more than show his range, and in many photos of him, while he does seem more built like a linebacker than graceful and tall as Roland is described, the man has an overbearing presence and a gaze that cuts into your soul. If ever an actor - regardless of race - could play Roland perfectly, Elba would be it.

I have seen a number of concerns on this board as to whether the first film will or will not include Susannah, Eddie, etc. Whether it will be reductionist or even deconstructionist, some have even argued that this could not be canon because of the changes being made to it. Perhaps it will not be canon to the books, as written, but as Sai King himself so often reflects film and books are two separate things. Like apples and oranges each are delicious but each has a flavor all its own. To wit, the films don't NEED to be canon, and most likely should not be.

Certain stories such as Harry Potter are written almost fully-formed and can be filmed almost as written. The Exorcist is also a very good example, as the dialogue and scenarios were translated to film almost word-for-word with only a minor subplot removed. And yes, there are some very cinematic elements to The Dark Tower series which I do find myself hoping they will lift whole-cloth from the books. Scenes like the shoot-outs in Balazar's Leaning Tower Club, and the one in the Maine general store in 1977. The scene with Stephen King - hell any of the longer talking scenes, the palaver with Walter in the Golgotha of bones, the chase under the mountains.

All that being said, if they find ways to make this a sequel (as King has also gone on records as stating the intention of the film will be), I will be very interested to see how they lift elements from all through the series and settle them into one production. The initial production must, by the nature of the general audience, be reductive but it can also be deep and clever. It must reach out to a new audience, people who have never read the books, and give them a taste of what the series will truly be about, as there is a long haul here and the creative team for the film has the daunting task of both giving the fan base what they want and making a case for new viewers as to why they should invest in this story.

Lifting an rearranging the elements of the film, thus deconstructing the story need not take away from the political, social, philosophical and moral statements the original stories made, although it will be a challenge for any writer and/or director to arrange these statements into a new whole. I think they are smart for making the first film like the first book - just Jake and Roland. Hopefully we will get story elements like Tull, King has already said he's solid in insisting the film start with the line, "The man in black fled across the desert, and the Gunslinger followed," and I am hoping to see the slow mutants and the Way Station. But with the other elements they have confirmed will be there - Titana, Susan, the Mansion on Dutch Hill and numerous other things from throughout the books, I have a feeling the film will be structured with the same dreamlike, hazy quality the first book was, and perhaps will have jumps in time - flashbacks, flashback-within-flashback, stream of consciousness, and many of the other elements that have made this series great, and were so present in the first film.

As to the racial elements between Susannah/Detta/Odetta, Eddie and Roland - even with a black Roland there is still the possibility for a statement to be made there. Perhaps even to strike a deeper chord with this. It has been suggested (not here but in many quarters) that Detta could call Roland an Uncle Tom. But this is more a surface detail. There can still be racial tension brought about by the fact that Roland is a constabulary, that he travels with White Folk (if he indeed does call Eddie first in this iteration). It could be a sharper dagger for Detta's mind, the idea that a white dude and a black dude are working together. There is still so much that can be done with the material, even with a Roland of a different color.

Well, that's all I have to say for now. Hope to hear yon tet's thoughts on this, may it do ya. Long days and pleasant nights.
...well reasoned and well received...glad you've joined up...
 

Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
61,289
239,271
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Hello, I'm a new poster here. Just found this site and I look forward to many great conversations.

I think Idris Elba is a great actor, and a great choice for Roland. While he may not fit the physical description to a Tee, the actor does have a gravitas and persona that could equally convey the inner qualities of Roland. His characterizations in The Wire, Luther and a plethora of films more than show his range, and in many photos of him, while he does seem more built like a linebacker than graceful and tall as Roland is described, the man has an overbearing presence and a gaze that cuts into your soul. If ever an actor - regardless of race - could play Roland perfectly, Elba would be it.

I have seen a number of concerns on this board as to whether the first film will or will not include Susannah, Eddie, etc. Whether it will be reductionist or even deconstructionist, some have even argued that this could not be canon because of the changes being made to it. Perhaps it will not be canon to the books, as written, but as Sai King himself so often reflects film and books are two separate things. Like apples and oranges each are delicious but each has a flavor all its own. To wit, the films don't NEED to be canon, and most likely should not be.

Certain stories such as Harry Potter are written almost fully-formed and can be filmed almost as written. The Exorcist is also a very good example, as the dialogue and scenarios were translated to film almost word-for-word with only a minor subplot removed. And yes, there are some very cinematic elements to The Dark Tower series which I do find myself hoping they will lift whole-cloth from the books. Scenes like the shoot-outs in Balazar's Leaning Tower Club, and the one in the Maine general store in 1977. The scene with Stephen King - hell any of the longer talking scenes, the palaver with Walter in the Golgotha of bones, the chase under the mountains.

All that being said, if they find ways to make this a sequel (as King has also gone on records as stating the intention of the film will be), I will be very interested to see how they lift elements from all through the series and settle them into one production. The initial production must, by the nature of the general audience, be reductive but it can also be deep and clever. It must reach out to a new audience, people who have never read the books, and give them a taste of what the series will truly be about, as there is a long haul here and the creative team for the film has the daunting task of both giving the fan base what they want and making a case for new viewers as to why they should invest in this story.

Lifting an rearranging the elements of the film, thus deconstructing the story need not take away from the political, social, philosophical and moral statements the original stories made, although it will be a challenge for any writer and/or director to arrange these statements into a new whole. I think they are smart for making the first film like the first book - just Jake and Roland. Hopefully we will get story elements like Tull, King has already said he's solid in insisting the film start with the line, "The man in black fled across the desert, and the Gunslinger followed," and I am hoping to see the slow mutants and the Way Station. But with the other elements they have confirmed will be there - Titana, Susan, the Mansion on Dutch Hill and numerous other things from throughout the books, I have a feeling the film will be structured with the same dreamlike, hazy quality the first book was, and perhaps will have jumps in time - flashbacks, flashback-within-flashback, stream of consciousness, and many of the other elements that have made this series great, and were so present in the first film.

As to the racial elements between Susannah/Detta/Odetta, Eddie and Roland - even with a black Roland there is still the possibility for a statement to be made there. Perhaps even to strike a deeper chord with this. It has been suggested (not here but in many quarters) that Detta could call Roland an Uncle Tom. But this is more a surface detail. There can still be racial tension brought about by the fact that Roland is a constabulary, that he travels with White Folk (if he indeed does call Eddie first in this iteration). It could be a sharper dagger for Detta's mind, the idea that a white dude and a black dude are working together. There is still so much that can be done with the material, even with a Roland of a different color.

Well, that's all I have to say for now. Hope to hear yon tet's thoughts on this, may it do ya. Long days and pleasant nights.
11-22-63 Welcome.JPG

Welcome
 

Hazanko

New Member
Jul 15, 2017
2
3
49
It is a new turn of the wheel. We don't know if he will be required to draw three this time around let alone who they might be.

This fails to understand one of the key points of the series: Ka is a wheel. And a Ka tet are 1 from many. They are people connected by destiny. They return every turn of the wheel. Yes they may return in a slightly different form: twim. But The Tower/Roland's life cannot exist without them.

Leads to another obvious issue with the film: The real world and mid-world/Roland's world are key worlds: Roland's world is created by king in the real world which created the Tower which holds all worlds. Roland's tale, his life IS the Tower. He is as unique as King. He has no twim in other where's and when's. This new black Roland is not a twim. So it makes no sense to say this being a new turn explains why Roland is suddenly not a honky. Either King forgot much of the thought provoking points that made the story so great, or he is just selling another garbage movie.
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
87,651
358,754
62
Cambridge, Ohio
This fails to understand one of the key points of the series: Ka is a wheel. And a Ka tet are 1 from many. They are people connected by destiny. They return every turn of the wheel. Yes they may return in a slightly different form: twim. But The Tower/Roland's life cannot exist without them.

Leads to another obvious issue with the film: The real world and mid-world/Roland's world are key worlds: Roland's world is created by king in the real world which created the Tower which holds all worlds. Roland's tale, his life IS the Tower. He is as unique as King. He has no twim in other where's and when's. This new black Roland is not a twim. So it makes no sense to say this being a new turn explains why Roland is suddenly not a honky. Either King forgot much of the thought provoking points that made the story so great, or he is just selling another garbage movie.
....and so very glad you joined, just to crap on our host....he has approved all points to date-and I'll just betcha, he doesn't give flyin' fu*k at a rolling donut if you go see it or not....be gone troll!.....
 

Dana Jean

Dirty Pirate Hooker, The Return
Moderator
Apr 11, 2006
53,634
236,697
The High Seas
This fails to understand one of the key points of the series: Ka is a wheel. And a Ka tet are 1 from many. They are people connected by destiny. They return every turn of the wheel. Yes they may return in a slightly different form: twim. But The Tower/Roland's life cannot exist without them.

Leads to another obvious issue with the film: The real world and mid-world/Roland's world are key worlds: Roland's world is created by king in the real world which created the Tower which holds all worlds. Roland's tale, his life IS the Tower. He is as unique as King. He has no twim in other where's and when's. This new black Roland is not a twim. So it makes no sense to say this being a new turn explains why Roland is suddenly not a honky. Either King forgot much of the thought provoking points that made the story so great, or he is just selling another garbage movie.
"Not a honky?" Interesting choice of words.
 

CrimsonKingAH

LOVE & PEACE
Jun 8, 2015
5,539
17,003
East Texas
This fails to understand one of the key points of the series: Ka is a wheel. And a Ka tet are 1 from many. They are people connected by destiny. They return every turn of the wheel. Yes they may return in a slightly different form: twim. But The Tower/Roland's life cannot exist without them.

Leads to another obvious issue with the film: The real world and mid-world/Roland's world are key worlds: Roland's world is created by king in the real world which created the Tower which holds all worlds. Roland's tale, his life IS the Tower. He is as unique as King. He has no twim in other where's and when's. This new black Roland is not a twim. So it makes no sense to say this being a new turn explains why Roland is suddenly not a honky. Either King forgot much of the thought provoking points that made the story so great, or he is just selling another garbage movie.
Maybe you should go sell 'your' garbage somewhere else... because you won't find anyone here who will put up with your trash talk. buhbye
 

AnnaMarie

Well-Known Member
Feb 16, 2012
7,068
29,564
Other
....and so very glad you joined, just to crap on our host....he has approved all points to date-and I'll just betcha, he doesn't give flyin' fu*k at a rolling donut if you go see it or not....be gone troll!.....

That's not fair.

King should care about my opinion (which agrees with Hazenko) as much as he should care about the opinion of any other fans of his books. He was cruder than me... but basically same opinion as
I.

I may look for a troll avatar. ;;D

"Not a honky?" Interesting choice of words.

King's choice. "Honky MaFa"