The Dark Tower

Ask any Dark Tower fan about their hopes for a big screen adaptation, and they’ll all tell you the same thing: “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Even then, most of us refuse to believe it’s actually happening until we’re sitting in a theater and the Dark Tower title card appears on screen. Well, we’re definitely a big step closer to that dream becoming a reality, as new set photos from the Stephen King adaptation reveal Idris Elba in full Gunslinger dress, sandalwood grips and all.

Today brings a few updates on Nikolaj Arcel's adaptation of The Dark Tower. First up, Vikings star Katheryn Winnick has joined the cast in a mysterious role, and given that the screenplay borrows from a few of the books in Stephen King's epic series, she could be playing just about anyone. In addition, some photos have popped up from the set, giving us our look at what could be the official logo, as well as a couple of locations and some cool practical effects.

There have certainly been some interesting choices when it comes to The Dark Tower, with characters from later books in the Stephen King series set to appear in the upcoming film — which is being developed as a potential franchise-starter. That’s a little odd, for sure, but the actual casting thus far has been spot-on, and that continues today with the addition of Cabin in the Woods star Fran Kranz.

Production has officially begun on The Dark Tower, the long-developing adaptation of Stephen King’s beloved dark fantasy-western novel series. In addition to Matthew McConaughey as the enigmatic antagonist The Man in Black, the project has cast Jackie Earle Haley in the role of another key villain from the series — one who doesn’t show up until the fifth book, Wolves of the Calla.

One of the trickiest roles to cast in an adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower is that of Jake Chambers, the young boy who meets Roland Deschain during his journey in the first novel and becomes a key figure in the gunslinger’s story — not just once, but twice. He’s an incredibly vital member of the story, but given his age (11), the length of the series, and the impossibility of keeping a kid from growing up, Jake is easily the most difficult role to fill. But director Nikolaj Arcel has done it anyway, casting a relative newcomer in the long-awaited adaptation.

A few years ago, former Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul tweeted that playing Eddie Dean in an adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower was a “huge” dream of his. It looks like he might get his wish, as the actor is rumored for the role of Eddie in Nikolaj Arcel’s film based on the epic fantasy book series. Although the casting remains a rumor (for now) Paul’s tweets are really getting our hopes up.

The Dark Tower opening in January felt like a bad sign, given that the first month of the year is typically a dumping ground for less-promising films. Inspiring a healthy bit of optimism, Sony has pushed the release back a month to February 2017, while also shifting dates for similarly long-gestating films Bad Boys 3 and Barbie — the latter of which remains without a director, so we’ll see how long that release date sticks.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: there’s gonna be a Dark Tower movie. Stephen King’s sprawling Western/mystical sci-fi epic has been Hollywood’s great white whale for some time now, stymieing adaptation efforts from such luminaries as J...

After years of development, The Dark Tower film based on Stephen King’s series of novels is finally heading to the big screen, with Idris Elba in the role of gunslinger Roland Deschain and Matthew McConaughey as the villainous Man in Black. Today brings another interesting addition to the cast, as Mad Max: Fury Road star Abbey Lee has joined the ambitious, long-developing project…but the description of her role will have Dark Tower fans seriously scratching their heads.

How’s this for some excellent news: while we’ll likely never see Idris Elba take on the iconic role of James Bond, we might see him take on another franchise character traditionally portrayed as a white man. Elba is reportedly the frontrunner to play legendary gunslinger Roland Deschain in The Dark Tower. Hile, gunslinger!