Horror maverick Stephen King’s epic book series ‘The Dark Tower’ is finally set to make it to the big screen after a lot of false starts over the years.
It tells the story of Roland Deschain, Mid-World’s last gunslinger, who is travelling southeast across Mid-World’s post-apocalyptic landscape, searching for the powerful but elusive magical edifice known as The Dark Tower.
Taking on the role of Roland is Idris Elba, while Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey is The Man in Black. Stephen King himself confirmed their roles in the new film on Twitter on the 1st March stating: “ It’s official: The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed. #DarkTowerMovie @McConaughey @IdrisElba.”
Inspired in equal parts by Robert Browning’s poem, “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came,” J.R.R.Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and Sergio Leone’s spaghetti western classics, The Dark Tower series is an epic of Arthurian proportions.
The first book in the series ‘The Gunslinger’ was published in 1982 and seven books followed. The last one ‘The Wind Through the Keyhole’ was released in 2012.
I myself have read them all and would describe the series as 2000AD meets Lord of the Rings, with Clint Eastwood’s westerns thrown into the mix for good measure. Eastwood himself was the favourite to play Roland but advanced years have ruled him out.
Many thought that the epic series was unfilmaable and that to do it justice a TV series was in order. Parts are set in the modern world so there is plenty of scope for diverse action. We are sure to follow it all with interest.
