Idris Elba, starred in Pacific Rim, Luther and HBO's The Wire, is currently in talks for the part of Roland Deschain in the anticipated film adaptation of Stephen King's series 'The Dark Tower'. Moreover, author King stated his insight regarding the possible casting of the former.
The news about Stephen King's Dark Tower is now surrounded by the possible casting of actor Idris Elba as the gunslinger who's trying to stop all reality from falling apart. As reported by AVClub, the actor is currently the frontrunner for Roland Deschain which is almost a month after reports surfaced regarding Matthew McConaughey's involvement as the big bad villain, The Man in Black/ Randall Flag. It was stated that it shouldn't be a surprise as Elba was also in consideration of playing the next James Bond due to being an incredible actor and charismatic looks.
However, according to SlashFilm, there's still a chance for Elba to abandon the film since his talks with Sony was still "early talks." But fans are still hoping for him to accept the role for he might be the one that can bring the gunslinger to life, further insinuating that this could be his movie series.
Lastly, book series creator Stephen King stated his insights regarding the film's casting of everyone's favourite gunslinger. According to MovieWeb, since readers of the books actually thought that the character is going to a white actor, Stephen King chimed his own comment. He stated that "to me, the color of the gunslinger doesn't matter. What I care about is how fast he can draw... and that takes care of the ka-tet." Though he didn't state Idris Elba by name, Stephen King does not care to the color of the potential main characters.
The Dark Tower is an upcoming film adaptation of Stephen King's seven novels that circles about Roland Deschain and his journey to find the Dark Tower that is a portal to the other worlds. Idris Elba is the top choice to play the role and with him is Nikolaj Arcel to helm the first instalment in the series. Author Stephen King stated that he cares about the potential actor's way of handling a gun rather than the color of his skin. The first film of the Dark Tower franchise is set by Sony to be released on January 2017.
