Stephen King has confirmed, via Twitter, that both Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba are starring in the live-action adaption of The Dark Tower. For over a year now, the two were rumored to play the lead roles, but it’s now official. McConaughey will play the villain Walter Padick aka the Man in Black, while Idris Elba is set to play Roland Deschain aka the Gunslinger. Nikolaj Arcel (A Royal Affair, Truth About Men) will direct the film.
It's official: The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed. #DarkTowerMovie @McConaughey @IdrisElba
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) March 1, 2016
On casting Elba, Arcel previously told Entertainment Weekly, “For me, it just clicked. He’s such a formidable man. I had to go to Idris and tell him my vision for the entire journey with Roland and the ka-tet. We discussed, who is this character? What’s he about? What’s his quest? What’s his psychology? We tried to figure out if we saw the same guy. And we absolutely had all the same ideas and thoughts. He had a unique vision for who Roland would be.”
Arcel also shared some words on casting McConaughey as the mysterious Man in Black, “Matthew is an incredible actor who can do anything. That’s how I feel about Walter Padick. He could do anything.”
The two also took to Twitter to share a few words on the announcement:
.@McConaughey you have one new follower. #DarkTowerMovie https://t.co/5fSKF02C7I
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) March 1, 2016
.@idriselba come and get me, I look forward to it. #DarkTowerMovie https://t.co/4gxqm2GPo3
— Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) March 1, 2016
Now that a live-action adaption of The Dark Tower is finally coming into play, what do you think of the casting choice so far?