'The Dark Tower' may not have its leading man yet but Russell Crowe and Javier Bardem have been some of the casting favorites to play Roland Deschain in Nikolaj Arcel's long-awaited live-action adaptation of Stephen King's novels of the same name.
According to Movie Web, the upcoming adventure-fantasy film is scheduled to be released on January 13, 2017 under Sony Pictures Entertainment. It joins the already growing roster of cinematic releases slated to debut in the 2016-2017 timeline, which includes the 'Jumanji' reboot, 'Ghostbusters', 'The Equalizer 2', 'Underworld 5', and 'Resident Evil: The Final Chapter'. It was reported that 'The Dark Tower' will now occupy the slot once taken by 'The Magnificent Seven' remake that stars Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and Ethan Hawke.
The film will follow the adventures of main protagonist Roland Deschain, the last surviving gunslinger in the lineage of Arthur Eld, whose main goal is to reach the fabled Dark Tower. According to Cinema Blend, the structure is said to be the "nexus of all universes" and is important for a dystopian world that is coming apart. The story is described to be a Western with elements of magic, horror and science-fiction.
Oscar-nominee Nikolaj Arcel has signed on to direct, write and produce the adaptation, according to Twitch Film. It was reported that Javier Bardem was once tagged to play the leading character Deschain back when Ron Howard attempted to bring the planned project into fruition. It was later revealed that the role has been offered to Russell Crowe instead although there have been no official reports yet of the matter.
Several fan favorites have also come up including Sean Bean, Viggo Mortensen and Daniel Craig. Matthew McConaughey was rumored to play the Man In Black while Aaron Paul was speculated for Eddie Dean.
'The Dark Tower' will be the first film in a planned series adapted from Stephen King's ambitious and successful novels first published in 1982. The novels were chiefly inspired by a Robert Browning poem entitled 'Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came'. The first book centers on Roland Deschain of Gilead as he traverses a desert in pursuit of his adversary 'the man in black'.
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