'Dark Tower' Roles Confirmed For Matthew McConaughey, Idris Elba
Matthew McConaughey (left) and Idris Elba (right) are in for movie adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘The Dark Tower’ (McConaughey photo: Gregg DeGuire/WireImage; Elba photo: John Phillips/Getty Images)
By Graeme McMillan, The Hollywood Reporter
After years of speculation and false starts, author Stephen King has signaled that the big screen adaptation of his fantasy series The Dark Tower had finally found its leading men.
Related: Stephen King at the Movies: We Rank 39 Films Based on His Works
His reveal came in a familiar form for fans of the series, which launched with 1982’s The Dark Tower; the tweet quoted the first line of that first book, referencing the novel’s antagonist Randall Flagg (the man in black) and hero, Roland Deschain, the gunslinger in question. Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey then responded to King’s tweet, confirming their roles in the process.
It’s official: The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed. #DarkTowerMovie @McConaughey @IdrisElba
— Stephen King (@StephenKing)
.@McConaughey you have one new follower. #DarkTowerMovie https://t.co/5fSKF02C7I
— Idris Elba (@idriselba)
.@idriselba come and get me, I look forward to it. #DarkTowerMovie https://t.co/4gxqm2GPo3
— Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey)
Related: Back to Derry: An Oral History of ‘Stephen King’s It’
Both Elba and McConaughey have been mentioned for the project for some months. The film will be directed by Nikolaj Arcel and produced by Akiva Goldsman, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Erica Huggins. Sony, which picked up the project following original studio Universal pulling out in 2011.
The Dark Tower is scheduled for release in January 2017.
More Stephen King: Watch the trailer for ‘Cujo’:
