The movie adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower finally found its Roland Deschain as writer and producer Akiva Goldsman announced that they are currently eyeing on Pacific Rim actor, Idris Elba. While the news about his casting earned mixed comments, author Stephen King backed the producer's decision saying that he does not think of color a big issue.
As reported by Inquisitr, Goldsman stated that they are eyeing on getting Elba for the role of the mysterious gunslinger, Roland Deschain.
"I think Idris Elba is the greatest possible idea for casting for Roland, and I'm unbelievably proud of it as a collaborator on this enterprise and because I think that he's a great actor and I couldn't be more thrilled that he is likely to play a part", he stated.
"I understand that people who are thoughtful about the storytelling and the racial politics of the storytelling might want to understand how that informs that storytelling, and I respect that and I hear that, and those things are not things we didn't think about or don't think about."
However, it is worth noting that Goldsman mentioned Elba as "likely to play a part" which means that his casting might have not been made official yet but is the top actor for the role. According to Cinemablend, the racism claims are rooted on the part of the story where a major character hates Deschain and uses racist language to offend him, however, it is still unknown whether the character will eventually make it to the big screen.
Idris Elba casting is also supported by King, who said through Twitter that the color of the gunslinger does not matter for him. As reported by Den of Geek, he also added that he is more concerned on how fast Elba can draw. Aside from that of Roland Deschain, no actors have been linked to the role of Alain Johns, Jake Chambers, and other major characters.
Official plot details for the movie are being kept tight under wraps but it is expected to be based on the first book in the The Dark Tower series, "The Gunslinger". It will also be accompanied by a tv series which will be linked to the plot of the movie.
The story of The Dark Tower centers on Roland Deschain who is the last of the descendants of gunslingers who protect the world. He goes on a journey to find the dark tower believed to be the nexus of the universe with the goal to save his land from destruction.
Aside from Elba, Matthew McConaughey is also linked to The Dark Tower project, although, officials casting details have not been revealed as of yet. The upcoming feature is expected to debut in theaters in January 13, 2017 .
