Apr 30 2009
Casting J. J. Abrams’ Dark Tower Movie
After learning yesterday that J. J. Abrams’ next project is most likely going to be an adaptation of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, I got so excited, I sat down and cast the entire movie for him. Wasn’t that nice of me?
See below who I cast in the major roles, and a few minor ones just for fun. Feel free to shout out your own suggestions.
Roland Deschain – Hugh Jackman Viggo Mortenson
Update: I wrote this article a long while back, and upon revisiting it due to the number of comments, I’ve decided that I made a mistake with the lead role here. I originally said Hugh Jackman, but I don’t think he has the acting chops to pull it off. And because Clint Eastwood is too old (Roland IS Eastwood), I have to go with Viggo Mortenson.
I just watched A History of Violence again, and after that viewing I think he’s just perfect for the role. He’s got those blue bombardier eyes, and I can easily seem him spouting out High Speech with ease. He may be a bit on the soft-spoken side, but I think he’s got what it takes without question to kill the lead in this epic series.
Eddie Dean – James McAvoy
I’m picking McAvoy here because frankly I’ve loved him in almost everything I’ve seen him in. Sure Casey Affleck may look the part more, but I think McAvoy would make a much better Eddie Dean, mainly due to the fact that I don’t want to punch him in the face every time he talks (sorry Casey, but I’ll never forget The Assassination of Jesse James and the Way Too Long Title).
And as we learned in Wanted, McAvoy can certainly handle a gun. He’s right age, the right look for the part, and he’s got both the physical and acting chops to get the job done.
Odetta (Susannah) Holmes– Zoe Saldana
I haven’t seen Zoe Saldana in much to date, but assuming she doesn’t totally suck in Star Trek, I think she’d be right on for this role. She would have already worked with J. J. which is a plus, and provided she can hang with the more experienced actors, she should do just fine.
I’d have to hear her “crazy Odetta voice” to make sure, but I can see her throwing plates onscreen already.
Jake Chambers – Freddy Highmore
Yes, that’s the best picture you get of Jake Chambers, if you can find me a better one, please send it over. He looks like an 11 year-old kid, that’s all you need to know. There are few child actors that aren’t terribly annoying these days, and Jake needs to be just that.
Freddy Highmore is one of the only kids who comes to mind who is actually talented, but not someone you want to throw out of a moving train like Dakota Fanning or Anakin Skywalker. If he can get the American accent down, I think Highmore would be great for the part.
Alain Johns – Charlie Hunnam
I’m doing a few of the more minor characters just for fun, even if they only appearly scarcely throughout the series. Alain, Roland’s old pal, may be uglier and pudgier than Charlie Hunnam, but I can see it working, can’t you?
Cuthbert Allgood – Joseph Gordon Levitt
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is starting to move into more of a leading man role these days, but I think he’d be up for doing a guest spot in a series as epic as this. Here he would play young Roland’s right hand, Cuthbert.
Susan Delgado – Diane Krueger
Who’d you think I was going to say, Scarlett Johansson? I originally cast Charlize Theron here as Roland’s teenage love (I made a picture and everything!), but scrapped that when I realized she was 34. She looks so young! As a substitute I think Ms. Krueger would slide into the role quite nicely. If anyone says “Hayden Panettiere” you get punched in the face.
Randall Flagg (The Man in Black) – Jeremy Irons
Alright, this is kind of a copout, but I think Irons would actually be great in this role. I was half tempted to go with someone like Jackie Earle Haley, but I think Irons has more of a sinister presence.
Who should be cast as young Stephen King? Think I’m kidding? Read the books…
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Good Choices, but here are some of mine, using the characters you picked as well as some others
Deschain-Josh Brolin
Eddie Dean-Edward Norton
Susannah Dean- Rosario Dawson
Jake Chambers- Kodi Smit-McPhee, the little dude that’s gonna be in The Road w/ Viggo Mortensen. The Australian accent could work.
Alain Johns- Matt Damon
Cuthbert Allgood- I actually agree with Levitt. 500 Days of Summer looks godlike
Susan Delgado- Olivia Wilde
Randall Flagg- Christian Bale, although Irons could do it too
The Crimson King- Sir Ian McKellan
Dandelo- Gerard Butler
Eldred Jones- Kiefer Sutherland
The Big Coffin Hunters
Depape- Bruce Campbell
Reynolds- Paul Bettany
Thorin- Devon Aoki
Mordred Deschain- David Wenham (Dilios from 300)
Tick-Tock Man- Christopher Walken
I’m pretty sure a cast like this will destroy some part of the universe, but it’ll be well worth it. GET ON IT ABRAMS
Parker, STFU and GTFO. That would fuck the entire series over.
A cast like that and the series will suck. The studio will let it ride on the names of the cast instead of making it a quality series, and it damned sure better be high quality.
Zero, you’re pretty dead on with the known cast, we’ll see how Saldana does. I’m still not quite sure about Highmore, I’ll have to take another look at him.
Wow, I’m pretty sure the cast I predicted won’t get chosen in the first place. Relax. I was just mulling over the actors I think would be best for the part. I do not exactly agree with the studio letting it ride on the names, for all the aforementioned actors have proven they can sell a movie through their abilities and not their names over the years.
And, in the end, it’s not up to me. It’s up to Abrams. So calm down.
You gotta keep in mind the ages of the characters. In Wizard and Glass, Roland and his ka-tet were 15-16 years old. Everyone mentioned so far is too old.
Jackman is an inspired choice. Roland actually does sing and dance in Wolves of the Calla. I’d like to see someone grittier in the role, though. Jackman is too polished.
McAvoy is a good Eddie Dean, who was in his early twenties in the series. Norton is too old. I’d go with Ben Foster - who would play a great recovering junkie.
I’d like to see Abrams go the Star Trek route and cast relatively unknown and character actors in most of the roles.
When I read the books a few years ago, I couldn’t help imagining Zoe as Susannah. And of course, a slightly younger Clint Eastwood as Roland.
I’d actually agree with most of your pics. Interestingly, I was back and forth about Jackman and Daniel Day Lewis as well, but I actually came down on the side of Lewis. I think Jackman might look the part a bit more, but he’s used to playing action roles and, as far as I’m concerned, has trouble playing a dramatic role convincingly. Day Lewis, I believe, could pull off both action and drama. I like the choice of McAvoy…I think James Franco could pull off Eddie Dean as well. As far as Jake is concerned, I guess Highmore could work, but I feel like he might be a bit too…dainty? The way Jake is portrayed in the book, you almost forget he’s a kid most of the time, with the exception of Wolves of the Calla. I don’t really know who’d be better though. And, even though I’ll admit he doesn’t look the part, Kevin Spacey I think plays a great villain, and would probably make a great Flagg. Good choices though.
I agree that Jackman may be a bit too polished i’d like to see a slighty older and weathered Roland, David Carodine (Kill Bill), Ed harris types.
I do hope it is an almost all unkown cast though as it will put the pressure on the movie to actually be a quality movie to draw viewers rather than big names
Eddie dean should be played by Ryan Renolds, he can do action and he is very good at being sarcastic and a bit of a smart @$$. How about Clive Owens for roland and Hally Beary for Susannah?
John Hamm for Roland. That man can contemplate!
I think another obvious choice for Roland is Hugh Laurie (House). I also agree with the comment that chose Ryan Reynolds as Eddie Dean.
Hahahaha Hugh Laurie. That’s awesome.
I think the first list is pretty spot on…i would try to find a few more alternatives for jake but otherwise, well done sir…as for u parker, if ur gonna make a list, at least put some thought into it…this is a serious matter we are dealing with here =P
Ryan Reynolds as Eddie? Yeah, he’s good at the comedy, but Eddie is also very serious. I disagree. And as much as it dismays, popular speculation points to Christian Bale as being the prime contender for Roland. We need fewer superstars and more actors. My list of mains is not as extensive, but here it is:
Roland Deschain: Viggo Mortensen or Kurt Russell. Both men have the acting chops, and both are the rugged types with the bombardier eyes. Mortensen would be a much younger take, though I’d prefer to see him to Jackman. Russell fits the age a bit better, but I don’t think he’d handle the High Speech as well as Mortensen could.
Eddie Dean: in my mind, Nicholas Brendon, though aging, is almost perfect for Eddie Dean. After seeing him for seven seasons in Buffy, I know that he’s got the talent for balancing the comedy and the tragedy found in Eddie. Paul Rudd might be able to pull it off, but he’s a far, far second.
Susannah Dean: Gina Torres of Firefly fame is my initial thought. She’s certainly got the ability to be the badass that Susannah becomes, but I also think she’d do well with the split personalities. I was not blown away by Zoe Saldana in Star Trek, and Halle Berry is just wrong for the part.
Jake Chambers: nobody has really seen what Kodi Smit-McPhee can do. I did like Nathan Gamble in The Mist, so I’ll list him as my number one. Highmore is also quite good. I’m hoping they pick an amazing unknown for this part, though, since Jake is far and away my favorite character.
Randall Flagg: here’s where my casting gets weird and many will disagree with me (as if they don’t already). Before the controversy, consider Terry O’Quinn of Lost fame as an alternate. Though Jeremy Irons needs a comeback role and I’d love to see what he did with Flagg, I’d be more interested in seeing what Jim Carrey could do with this. I’ll leave that to marinate.
Eldred Jonas: Sam Elliott. No other.
Stephen Deschain: If Clint Eastwood doesn’t come out of retirement to cameo as the father of the legend that was based on him, I will cry. I know he’s old, but he simply MUST be a part of this series.
That’s what I’ve got so far. Fire at will.
Okay everybodies cat pick for Rolan were good but in reality there is only one man alive right now that could play him. Daniel Craig. Think about he has the natural weathered look and the natural faded blue bombadiered eyes. Also Roland spoke in High Speech which was a mix of proper english with western slang.
My friends and I were just talking this over the other night, and I think that DDL and Jackman are both good choices for Roland, but my first thought (after Clint Eastwood, of course) was Josh Holloway who plays Sawyer on Lost.
I have to disagree wholeheartedly, rezareketer. Daniel Craig is too much of a Hollywood action hero. He’s good at what he does, but I’ve not been too impressed by his deeper acting capability. Roland does have to be a badass, true, but he also embodies so much more than badassery. He’s a very romantic and deeply tragic character, and while Craig would be a great physical match and perfect for he rough-and-tumble, I don’t honestly think he’s got it in him to portray all sides of the character.
just throwing this out there. Eddie Dean…..Sam Rockwell
Are you kidding me? Hugh Jackman?
Okay here’s a shot:
Roland- Daniel Day Lewis. He’s got the chops and he’s not that old. We ask for greatness, not f-ing wolverine.
Eddie- Jim Sturgess (yeah that kid from 21) If they put ryan reynolds in this part i will personally drop horse poop on the premiere.
Susannah- Angela Bassett
Jake- Who cares? Honestly a kid actor’s a kid actor. Whoever gets the part is in for some life-ruining anyway.
Father Callahan- I’d love to see donald sutherland come back for that. He’s supposed to be old, and we know he can play the part.
Walter/Marten/Flagg- Christian Bale. He’s got the intensity.
The Crimson King- Ron Perlman
Blaine- John Malkovich
Stephen Deschain- Clint Eastwood
As for the others, i could really care less. But seriously, if Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds get into this movie, i’m giving sai king a wedgie.
I just want to know when auditions are, so i can try out for Gasher.
Or Oy.
Roland - Joaquin Phoenix
Man in Black - Jack Black
Eddie Dean - Steven Buscemi
Odetta/Susannah - Foxy Brown
Jake chambers - Will Henly
Steven Deschain - Donald Sutherland
Young Roland - Jake Gyllenhaal
The Wicked Witch - Diane Keaton
Cuthbert - Mike Myers
Alain - Dana Carvey
Oy - Roy Orbison
Blaine - David Carrigan
The Crimson King - Robert Fripp
Sheb, The piano player - Tom Waits
Susan, the girl in the window - Reese Witherspoon
I think the cat from True Blood- the vampire that Sookie is hot for should play Roland
First of all:
Justin A+ for moxie and I say eff-um (i like you
And B: you all need to stop fantasizing; and those of you who read the books need to keep an open mind. Which i totally shouldn’t have to remind you about.
Most of you are thinking way too old! (Aside from Roland)
Granted, I had not considered Bale as Roland, but now that I consider it, Roland is sort of timeless. He’s world-wearied, young in a sense, but old in another; make-up works wonders;
but I very much agree with all of you who say that most of the cast should be made of unknowns.
If anyone cares, this is my pick:
Roland; Gary Cole ( just look it up; he IS Roland 20 years ago)but since that would never go over, I’m gonna have to go with Viggo Mortinson or with Christian Bale as back up; they can do amazing things these days.
Suzy ; Thandie Newton all the way; she’s supposed to be in her early 30’s and she would fit the bill perfectly!
Eddie: that’s a toughy; who said the fawn should be the junkie?
McAvoy? I can see that one. Descent call i’d say.
Also JGL is absolutelty perfect for Cuthbert.
Freddie is fine for Jake. And the kid from the Mist was my first pick BTW.
Susan has gotta be a young virginal flower; if you will; 14, 15-ish. I’m not sure yet.
Even whilst reading the books, she was the one character that I never associated an actress with. Someone will have to surprise me with that one.
OY: I’m supposing that the poor little critter is doomed to be CG’d. I named my own dog after him; though I don’t suppose a doxie-chahuahua looks anything like an Oy
Martin: I like the idea of Jeremy Irons but that seems a little obvious doesn’t it? What with all the Die Hard 3 and all?
Unfortunately, I always saw Flagg as Alan Rickman; but then he emerged as Snape and well…there’s only so much evil one man can convey. Adding Die Hard into the mix, just makes it too easy-peasy?
I love seeing all ya’s ideas for the movie cast, but if I see one more suggestion for something stupid ( I’m looking at whoever suggested Ryan Reynolds as Eddie or Angela Bassett as Suzey; Both too old for their parts.) Eddie should be in his early 20’s and Suze shoul be in her early 30’s. Done and done!
So excited and so scared to see this become reality. Fingers are crossed!!
“Fate doesn’t hang on a wrong or right choice; fortune depends on the tone of your voice.”
You speak true Jenny… ; )
Unfortunate news has come. For many of us David Carradine was a hero to us even before Roland the Gunslinger, in the hit TV show Kung Fu. As many of you may know David recently passed away, in rather odd way, that I’ll leave out. I noticed at least one of mentioned David Carridine as a possible charter in The Dark Tower Series, and I just wanted to give a remembrance for everything he’s done in the past.
i don’t know why but i have always pictured
kirk acevedo from oz and band of brothers as
eddy dean let me know if anyone else has
The instant i saw the trailer for Australia, i thought of Hugh Jackman as an absolutely PERFECT Roland. So good call on that and on Zoe Saldana as well. she is completely lovely, and i like her MUCH better than rosario dawson.
I’m still unsure on who should play Eddie. I’m not really feeling Mcavoy, but i don’t really have a better suggestion for that either.
I absolutely cannot stand ryan reynolds.
I think Sam Elliot (think “Big Lebowski”, or “Ghost Rider” - not “Hulk”) would be fantastic as Roland. The character is just too old and serious for a younger actor to handle correctly.
As for Eddie, I always pictured him as Adam Storke (Larry from “The Stand”), but that might just be me. Probably plenty of other young current actors would be just fine. Eddie’s transformation from the Prisoner to a real hero has got to be done right, though, and it takes him most of the series to fully realize his true strength.
Speaking of The Stand, I guess I’m just a sucker for that mini-series, as I always saw Walter (and Flagg as well, I guess) as Jamey Sheridan (Flagg from The Stand).
eddie dean - jared leto
walter - crispin glover
susannah - Tamala Jones
Whoever is going to be in the cast is going to have to be relatively young due to how many books there are ….andwell I’m pretty sure they will milk the rights for as much as they can (depending on how long many years they hold the rights that is)
I love the idea of Hugh Jackman as Roland….Here’s my idea….
Eddie- This would be perfect- Shia Labeouf. Just think about it when you go watch Transformers 2, and you’ll catch my drift.
Susannah- Gabriel Union
Jake- The kid the first guy picked…Im not up to par on my kid actors.
Steven Deschain- Clint Eastwood…PERFECT
Man In Black- Val Kilmer
Susan Delgado- Malin Ackerman
Eldred Jonas- Sam Neil
Shemie- Adrian Brody
Father Callahan- Donald Sutherland
Blain The Mono- I liked the guys idea earlier- John Malkovich. NICE
Tick Tock- Dolph Lundgren
Just a few supporting characters in the mix too. What do you guys think
i like ur casting ideas. I agree with ur choices and espesialy like who u picked for eddie. that just sums him up perfectly. The only thing i want to point out (and im not trying to be a jackass here) is that the picture for eddie is actually a younger version of roland and not eddie at all.
Roland - Ben Affleck
Eddie - David Spade
Susannah - Jessica Tandy (her corpse)
Jake - Michael Clarke Duncan
Oy - Clint Eastwood
Cuthbert - John Lithgow
Alain - Jackie Chan
Jonas - Reese Witherspoon
Stephen King - Stephen King
Flagg - A squid.
i agree with ryan reynolds as eddie because even when he’s mad he’s still sarcastic and jokeing around. Hugh jackman wouldnt make a good choice he smiles to much so even when he isn’t smilling you still have the ghost of a smile on his face
only one i have an issure with is flagg
if any of you saw the stand
id choose
Jamey Sheridan
Well Jamey Sheridan would be perfect, but william dafoe or ray liotta can play characters you can love to hate
Alright, I’m a little surprised here that nobody thought of the ULTIMATE actor to play Roland:
Adam Sandler.
The raw talent this guy has… unbelievable!
Heath Ledger would have been awesome as Cuthbert Allgood.
I also agree with Daniel Craig as Deschain.
How about Holland Taylor as Rhea of the coos?
OK. Two words to end all discussion on who should play Roland: STEPHEN MOYER.
I’m not too concerned with who would play any of the other characters, all I am concerned about is who would play Roland.
Some of the suggestions here about who should play Roland have ranged from excellent to ludicrous to down right hilarious (Bobscratch)…
I, for one, have pondered this question for many years and have always seen Roland played by Clint Eastwoood of course (how could you not?) but after seeing the movie Shoot ‘Em Up I don’t think you can go past Clive Owen… he has the right balance and combination of strength, masculinity, menace, heroism and physical presence… and “bombadier’s eyes”.
So, Clive Owen as Roland!
Roland - Josh Holloway from LOST. By the time this film gets rolling I think he will be age appropriate for the role. It will be a star making performance for him.
Eddie Dean - Seann William Scott. I think he is PERFECT for the role. He can play a wise ass and also play serious.
Susannah - Kerry Washington. Up and coming actress, got the looks, and not a bad actress. Could be her breakthrough.
I think your Eddie, Susannah, Jake, and Man in Black are dead on. But I’d have to go with Hugh Laurie (House) to play Roland. He has the haggard, look. And he’s proven he can be cynical and jaded in his role as Doctor House. Plus he has the signature “ice blue” eyes we’ve come to associate with Roland.
But I don’t agree with Levitt on playing Cuthbert either. Cuthbert was blonde in the books, and I don’t think Levitt could pull off the blonde boy look.
I very much doubt Susan would be in the first movie, except maybe in a flashback.
Who would you get to play Cort though? I was thinking someone like Goldberg (the wrestler)
Roland - Daniel Day Lewis or Gerard Butler
Eddie - Giovanni Ribisi
Susannah - Taraji Henson or Sanaa Lathan
Jake - Freddy Highmore
Flagg - Hugo Weaving
Cort - Harvey Kietel
you forgot one important thing…hugh jackman doesnt make good movies, and dont bring x-men (which was an ensemble cast with a great director) or the prestige (great cast/director) into this. also, im pretty sure thats not even a picture of eddie dean, being that its from the marvel comics series which takes pplace before dean was brought into continuity. yes, i am being a nit-picking fanboy douche.
I would like to see Jack Black play Calvin Tower’s role.
(If he ever was in the movie)
I could see Hugh Jackman as Roland. If you combine some of the sensitivity that you see in Australia and the badassness that you see as Wolverine and Van Helsing you could get a Roland. Also, I think that Christian Bale comes across as a prick that lacks heart. He might have the acting ability, but I don’t think that he has the heart that Roland should have.
I could also see Quentin Tarantino as Eddie. However, I haven’t seen him in any dramatic roles. So, I don’t know if he could show the more serious side of Eddie. I could totally see him going up against Blain the Mono in a riddle war.
Has no one else noticed the obvious resemblance between the artist’s rendition of Flagg in the last book and the actor Charles Dance?
My short list for Roland:
Josh Brolin (practically hand-picked by Eastwood; looks the most like Roland)
Dylan McDemott (bombardier blue eyes)
Viggo Mortensen (would get the western/high speech thing down)
Christian Bale
Hugh Jackman (ditto like Viggo)
Daniel-Day Lewis(big spaghetti western fan)
Eddie Dean: (deep breath) - Frankie Muniz. Sure, shoot me but I think he’d be great. Born in NJ, comedic, high-strung. Plus love to see him swear like a sailor. Him or Joseph Gordon Levitt. James McAvoy could be good too.
Susannah/Odetta/Detta: Zoe Saldana. Already working with Abrams, plus her looks and age - if she’s got the acting chops she could adapt well to the personality switch.
Jake - yeh, that Freddie Highmore kid could be good.
There could be only one Jack Mort - David Caruso.
I wouldn’t even worry about Cuthbert or Alain or even Steven Deschain (although I’m seeing Day-Lewis as Deschain, esp. the way he rocks the handlebar mustache) yet. They haven’t even made the first movie yet.
I like the idea of keeping Jamey Sheridan as Flagg. Or maybe Dennis Hopper. Malkovich as Blaine the Mono? Maybe. Thinking maybe more like Patrick Wharburton.
But probably, the best actors for these roles are probably out there as unknowns, and that’s probably the best, athough a known name or two would probably help sell it.
The first list was actually pretty awesome. Here are my choices…
Roland - Viggo Mortensen or Christian Bale - he’s kind of a pretty boy I guess, but he could be roughed up a bit. I like the
idea of Hugh Jackman too, I’m not a big fan, but he just might be
able to do it
Randall Flagg - Jeff Bridges, cause he’s so good at being an evil
bastard. Or, Alan Rickman. Eh? Anyone?
Sylvia Pittston - Kathy Bates. Classic King right there.
Eddie - Bang on for James McAvoy
Ted - Anthony Hopkins. Obviously.
Father Callahan - Clint Eastwood, Donald Sutherland
Susannah - Are you ready for this? Wanda Sykes. Don’t laugh.
I’m serious. Just imagine her as Detta Walker. Amazing.
Jake - Owen Best or Nathan Gamble. Although truth be told, it
would probably be best left to an unknown.
Cort - Gary Oldman? I don’t know, but seeing as how he is the best actor of all time, he should be in it.
And to whoever suggested Nicholas Brendon - I love him, but he’s too fat and old now. Sorry.
PS - If Shia LeBoeuf, Joaquin Phoenix, Ryan Reynolds or Ben Affleck show up in this movie, it’ll barf on itself
That’s too funny Michelle! Shia was actually the first thing in my mind for Eddie…but it just seemed TOO obvious after a while. Plus his availability would be a problem, since everybody and their brother want him (same with Sai Bale.) I heartily agree with you on the last two.
I DID want to include Jada Pinkett Smith on my short list for Susannah…seems like she could get both(all three?) personalities right and distinct…plus I could SO see her spewing the hateful ebonics that is Detta Walker. Besides, (waiting to get smacked for this) she’s the right height where she wouldn’t have to have her legs green-screened out (ok, maybe that’s an exaggeration)…
Some other thoughts:
Patrick Danville - Paul Dano
Joe Collins/Dandelo - Brendan Gleeson (I think SK was thinking Mad-Eye Moody when he described him)
Mia - Monica Bellucci
Jake - one of the kids from Zac and Cody on Disney (assuming they’ll want to keep him blond as some art depicts)
Gasher - Simon Pegg
Andrew Quick - somebody on another board said Triple H (from WWE), I totally agree
Cort - Michael Chiklis
Marten - Gary Oldman
Wow, and NOBODY fried me for suggesting Frankie Muniz as Eddie!
I love Jada Pinkett Smith, but she seems almost too clean and
pretty to be susannah. I was also sort of thinking of Viola Davis (the lady from doubt) for as well, but only because she looks almost exactly how I pictured Odetta Holmes in my head.
And there’s the thing… do you think they would go so far
as to have three different women play Detta/Odetta/Susannah?
Because that would be kind of crazy, but also a little a propos
at the same time. Wanda (Detta) Odetta (Viola) and Susannah (Jada Pinkett Smith) Could be interesting…
Here’s who I’d like to see:
Roland: Jeff Fahey (The dude has the perfect eyes)
Eddie: Giovanni Ribisi (Props to butterfoot for being the only other person I’ve found so far to also think so.)
Susannah: Angela Bassett
Jake: Any random kid actor
Walter: Willem Dafoe
Blaine: John Malkovich (Yes! That would be so f-in’ awesome!)
Tick Tock Man: Paul Michael Levesque (or Triple H as he’s called)
Rhea of the Coos: Cloris Leachman
Father Callahan: James Cromwell
Roland Deschain-Hugh Laurie for sure, he has the elongated face, the proper eyes (with the help of bright blue contacts for sure, though his eyes are already blue)
Eddie Dean-Jared Leto (I know, I know, he’s a little old, but he did play a rather convincing heroin addict in Requiem for a Dream, and he already has that crisp, sarcastic new york accent.)
Second runner up-Justin Long (He’d have to do some serious buffing up later on in the series, but I think he could really portray a lot of Eddie’s smartassedness and quite possible some of his bad ass traits and tendencies.)
Susannah/Detta/Odetta Holmes/Dean-Rutina Wesley (she plays the Tara in the show True Blood. She has the proper range of sweet, bitch and somewhere in the middle.)
John/Jake Chambers-Agreeing with the random child actor, Haley Joel is too old at this point.
Randall Flagg/Walter o’ Dim/The Walkin’ Dude-Alan Rickman or Jeremy Irons
Father Donald Callahan-James Cromwell
Steven Deschain-Sam Elliot or Clint Eastwood
Eldred Jonas-Sam Elliot if he didn’t get Steven Deschain
Henry Dean-Sam Rockwell
A Young Steven King-Joseph Hillstrom King
Cort-R. Lee Ermey
Jack Mort-Christopher Masterson
Here our my choices
Roland Deschain= Clive Owen, Roland is descended from King Arthur, so I think he could do a great high speech.
Marten-Jim Carrey, think of how he titters,
Eddie Dean-Mc avoy, Eddie was strung out on heroin, than becomes Rolands equal with the gun.
Suzy/Odetta=the chick from true blood, hot and a bitch perfect.
Stephen Deschain= Daniel Day Lewis
Blaine- great for John Malchovic
John Farson- John Cusack
Father Callahan- Hugh Laurie
Crimson King-Hugo Weaving
Jake- the kid from August Rush
Roland- Hugh Laurie… It has to be him. He would do an amazing job. He’s a great actor and he would do Roland right.
Eddie- James McAvoy… I’m not sold on him. I could actually see Ashton Kutcher. But he’s too tall and too much of a superstar
Sussanah- Zoe Saldana… There is no one else. It’s her. And whoever says Halle Berry is absolutely retarted
Cuthbert- Joseph Gordon-Levitt… I never thought about him but i love this choise
Alain- Channing Tatum… he looks like him but i don’t know if he could pull off being smart
Ted- Sir Anthony Hopkins… Mainly because he did a wonderful job in Hearts in Atlantis
Henry Dean- Christain Slater… He just really looks the part
Rhea of Coos- Betty Buckley… She was extremely creepy in The Happening
Steven Deschain- Clint Eastwood… I doubt it will happen and he’s too old but i would still love to see it
Cort- Michael Chiklis… Gain a little weight and he’s perfect
Sheemie Ruiz- Adrian Brody… Whoever said this was dead on
Randall Flagg- Hugo Weaving… Again, good call whoever brought Elrond up
I would also love to see a few people like Willem Defoe, Harvey Keitel, Christopher Walken, of course Johnny Depp and a few others play a part in this amazing and epic tale. But perhaps it would be better if the cast was rounded out by relatively unknowns. It would allow them to completely engulf the character and the audience wouldn’t be blinded by their previous acting jobs.
I can’t see these stories as seven movies. They wouldn’t turn out good at all. If they have any chance at being succesful (which, lets face it, is a long shot) then it has to be an HBO series. It HAS to.
Also one idea i have come up with is that maybe instead of chunking all of Rolands flashbacks into three or four scenes like it was in the book they could be spread out throughtout the entire story. Sort of like in LOST. That way the audience wouldn’t be lost when the story backtracks. It wouldn’t slow the story down and instead it would be used as a character building technique.
Lastly i just wanted to say that i love J.J. Abrams being involved in this story. I feel alot more comfortable with him having something to with it. Obviously i would love for Peter Jackson to help adapt this into a screenplay and direct. He did a perfect job with Lord of the Rings. Yeah i said “perfect”… it was an absolute masterpiece and i would be on cloud nine if The Dark Tower (my favorite story of all time) was even half as good as LOTR. And Stephen King needs to take a hands on approach with this story. It can easily be ruined and he cannot allow that to happen. It would break my heart.
If I may have my two cent’s worth
I read the first twenty comments, but then got too impatient to post mine to read the 32 that were left, say sorry.
Since watching True Blood, my idea of casting for the eventual movie/sequel franchise has been somewhat shaken and stirred.. And I’m sure I’m not the only one! That sexy, cuss-riddled grimy Southern feel of the series has sure influenced my imagination, and has proved a terrific feeding ground for how I experience many of the landscapes King describes in his books.
-Susannah; Rutina Wesley. I name Suze her first, because she’s my favourite character(s) from the books, and after seeing the badass performances the TB actress puts down portraying Tara, I definately would put her as my first choice. Plus, I see no-one else going at it like the impish, crazed and foul Detta Walker, especially after you see how Tara slowly loses her bearings and pushes everyone who cares for her away in the episodes leading up to her exorcism. Plus, she has that whole white-boy hating going on, and the disgust for plantations and anything having to do with colonialism.. Ok, enough on her :p
Eddie; James Macavoy isn’t actually a face I had in mind for him, but the more I think about it, the more I like it.. And if Adam Brody wasn’t so lightweight, I’d like to see him try it too. Actually, thinking about it; his looks almost exactly match that of the Eddie Dean I see in my mind’s eye when reading the books. And I DO hear Xander’s voice when Eddie speaks.. They just have that same kind of nervous, awkward humour and sense of self-deprecation.
Roland; Viggo Mortensen and then Daniel Day-Lewis. Those two actors have just enough retenue to play the silent, at times severe and ruthless gunslinger. I just think Hugh Jackman is wayy too popcorn, and much too broad. Roland is in my eyes lean, and sinewy. Almost leathery :p
Jake; Freddie Highmore. It’s scary how much he resembles my idea of Jake, even though I didn’t know mistuh Highmore when I first started reading The Dark Tower.
Randall Flagg; Alan Rickman. Oh yes. Please. Mmmm *savours* And gosh-darned! That picture of him in one of the last books so looks like him, don’t you think?
Susan Delgado; Imogen Poots. 28 Weeks later. Look her up. Thank me later.
Patrick Danville; Jared Leto. An emaciated, make-upless, ruffle-haired, wide-eyed Jared Leto. With cream and a cherry on top.
Father Calahan; Donald Sutherland is an EXCELLENT choice. I vote yes.
Jack Mort; Wayne Knight. You know, the guy from Jurassic Park that gets sprayed on by the vicious little fan-dinosaur. And then eaten.
What d’yall think?
OMG, I’m such a PRICK! Just decided to scroll through some of those 32 leftover comments after all and found like 90 per cent of people suggesting the same actors! I am SO thrilled not to be the only one to see Rutina Wesley and Alan Rickman! I really didn’t expect that to be honest…
Also, I must say; yes to Wanda Sykes (especially for the Detta part) and Taraji P. Henderson for Susannah. Stephen Moyer for Roland, also very good. And maybe, just maybe, Sean William-Scott for Eddie. Maybe.
Roland= Guy Pearce
Otherwise, nice choices, but the Gunslinger can be no other than Viggo Mortensen. That’s who popped in my head the very first time I started reading the book ^^
John C. McGinley (Dr. Cox on Scrubs) as Father Callahan….?
Oh, and Larry David as Roland Deschain
This would be the best thing to ever happen to the big or little screen! Unfortunately, if tried, I think it would fail. Abrams would have to cut so much out that it would leave a shell of the story. I agree with one of the earlier posts that HBO or something along that line would be the best fit if done at all. And the everyone that posted…not to be rude at all, but even if this happens, it’s not going to happen for most likely a couple of years. It won’t happen over night so almost all of the actors you’ve decided on will be too old for the parts you’ve picked for them for the most part. And I realize that these are just wish lists. but c’mon. There’s no way in hell that all of these great/expensive actors and actresses will sign on to this.
That being said, the only thing I agree with is all of those that suggested Josh Brolin as Roland. Everyone else should be nobodies. It would need one “kind of” star and that’s it. My apologies if I’ve offended. Great ideas from everyone in the now, but they just won’t work in 5 years when this thing possibly gets started.
I think one of the main problems for me is that I always (always!) imagined Roland as being Clint Eastwood. The part was actually based off of him. It even sort of says so in the book and the bookcover for the last in the series made it painfully obvious. Unfortunately, Clint Eastwood is now too old to play the character. Even though we all know that Roland is pretty old; he’s not quite that old.
That being said, I saw someone mention Hugh Laurie for the part. While I think he’s one of the best actors I’ve ever seen and while I can actually see him doing the part, I doubt he would be cast as it. Especially since it would be mucho hard to get away from his role of House and since he would be even older than he is now. Viggo seems like a good choice as well, but I just can’t see him or Hugh Jackman letting Jake plummet to his death. And again, it will probably be at least 12-13 years before the full series could be complete.
As for Eddie, I never thought of that guy from Wanted as playing him…but damn, he looks a LOT like the Eddie I see in my head.
*As a sidenote, if this movie had come out five or six years ago, I would have put Nicholas Brendon in the spot of Eddie Dean, but I just don’t think it’d work anymore.
roland- sure hugh laurie or stephen moyer but consider timothy olyphant (with contacts)
eddie dean- steve moyer
susannah-dana davis
jake- (whoever is of age at production)
walter- eh jim carrey or if you want the alternative…brad pitt.
henry dean- ryan reynolds
just the ones i can think of off the top of my head here but gotta reread the books to consider the other characters
I would like to vote for Christopher Walkin as Walter. Hes proven he can do some pretty intense rolls and has a great sense of humor. If you’ve ever seen “The Prophecy” , you’d agree he can be very dark and sarcasticly funny.
I agree that Clint Eastwood should be apart of it…pay him whatever he wants , just get him in the movie !!!
Ok….so heres a crazy thought to throw into the mix for Roland….Sean Penn maybe? Why not throw him in, theres alot of different takes and ideas already. And, I’d love to see John Cusack in the movie somewhere. Sheemy..as far as im concearned belongs to Adrian Brody.
So far…as much as i’d hate to say it (only because id like to keep things open), i think Viggo Mortenson would be a really good Roland.
Regardless of who plays what roles, i really feel the whole movie will really depand on how good the casting is. One miss cast for just one character could really throw things way off. Just look at what happend with the last three Star Wars that were made. They could have been soo much better then they were. It would kill me if after the movies are finish, to say “they were ok, but i think they could have been better if “so and so” would have played the part of ………., or “so and so didnt play a good eddie or jake” etc.
I feel Stephan King should be majorly involved with the movie. It would be interesting to hear his ideas of what actors should be in it.
Heres another crazy thought….Clint Eastwood as Father Callahan. He could totally pull that off.
I’ve read all of these posts, and so far I’ve only seen two that to me are dead spot on.
Susannah - Gabrielle Union
And the P-E-R-F-E-C-T suggestion
Rhea of the Coos - Cloris Leachman. Yes, sorry everyone else, but that suggestion ends it all for that character. Take the rest of your ideas for the witch and go home with them. Leachman IS Rhea of the Coos.
Also, I’ll throw out my idea for Roland based on ALL factors:
Age - 40-ish
Look - from somber & emotionless to cold & sinister
Body Build - lean and wiry, but athletic
Tone of voice - see the Look category
Acting - ability and experience to pull this off
My pick, who satisfies all of those requirements?
James Caviezel
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3381370112/nm0001029
Roland- Sawyer from “Lost”
Jack Nicholson, Clint Eastwood or Steven King Himself as Flagg( Or Anthony Hopkins . Of course I agree Jeromy Irons is pretty creepy too.
Halle Berry
Hey Crimson DUHHHHH! The books and characters were not based on Clint Eastwood. They were based on a famous poem/sonnett, “Roland to the Dark Tower He Cometh” HMMMMM Written a long time ago. Although I can see Clint in his younger days being a fine Roland!
Here’s even a movie poster with Caviezel that looks like part of it could be transplanted directly into a poster for The Dark Tower.
http://www.moviewallpaper.net/wpp/James_Caviezel_in_I_am_David_Wallpaper_1_1024.jpg
what about kevin spacey as flagg?
OMG @steelerbuckeye!!! That is seriously one of the closest approximations to the Roland in my mind I have ever seen!!
BUT Caviezel needs to be OLDER (at least ten years) and MEANER (ya know, less like Jesus :s). He would be perfect, then!
Yeah, he’s just one suggestion, but he’s 41 now, so he’d likely be in his mid to late 40s for most/all of the filming. Plus, as far as the “meanness” goes, he’s got that down, which is why I suggested him. Check out some of his such roles, like as the villains in Deja Vu and the end of High Crimes, or his character in Highwaymen. He also really looks the part of the cowboy, which you can see in Ride with the Devil (a movie that also contains some good portrayals of cowboys and “gunslingers” by other actors, as well).
Roland - Thomas Jane. A little too young and pretty, but nothing that a little makeup can’t fix.
Great castings sequence!! I was shocked and amazed at how close your choices are!! Nice job!
Regardless who you get you have to make 7 movies and not on TV. There was only one man who could play Roland and that was Clint Eastwood. So don’t even bother it will just get RUINED.
First off, congrats, I really like this list. I wouldn’t have thought of Diane Kruger as Susan, very impressed! And spot on with Gordon-Levitt as Cuthbert.
Now I need to rant a little…
@ Parker - have you ever actually READ any of the books in the series? Honestly, reading your list made me question my sanity. Devon Aoki as Thorin. If you haven’t read the books, Mayor Thorin is a MAN, and an aging one at that. If you are, somehow, referring to Coral Thorin, you’re far off once again. She’s far older than Aoki and actually requires some acting talent to play. But hey, everyone’s entitled to their own opinions. Just question your knowledge of the books, especially Wizard and Glass.
@ Lee - the Robert Browning poem is entitled “Childe Roland To The Dark Tower Came” and is one of MANY influences on the books.
@ (Anyone who mentioned Jim Carrey, Ryan Reynolds or Sean William-Scott) - NO NO NO!
I really like the suggestion of Allan Rickman as Flagg.
Here are a few of my suggestions (in no particular order or importance), if anyone cares to read and criticise:
Roland: I’m not even going to try, he’s just too hard to cast.
Eddie Dean: I like the suggestion of McAvoy. If he lost weight and then buffed up a bit for later films, I reckon Giovanni Ribisi could pull off both sensitive guy and whacked out junkie.
Walter/Flagg: Other than Weaving, Rickman and Irons, the only other man I can see playing this convincingly is John Malcovich
Eldred Jonas: Sam Elliott is and will always be the only man able to pull off this role.
Blaine the Mono/Little Blaine: without a doubt, ol’ Pennywise himself, Tim Curry.
The Crimson King: Christopher Lee
Hax: Michael Clarke Duncan
Cort: Robert Duval
Sylvia Pittson: Kathy Bates. No question.
Brown: Eric Stoltz
Enrico Balazar: Hector Elizondo
“Fat Johnny” Holden, the gunstore clerk: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Gasher: Billy Bob Thornton
I’ll add more names when I have time
@ Parker Jammstein
I was going to leave it, but your apparent ignorance of ANYTHING in the Dark Tower series, clearly displayed in your post, has me so frustrated I have to do this in order to clear my conscience.
First off, you are a moron. Not because your taste differs from mine, but because you came here and gave a list of characters from one of the greatest works of fiction by one of the greatest authors of our time and added to it a random assortment of actors’ names which have no relevance whatsoever.
Secondly, I feel I cannot sit here and criticise you without at least explaining myself, so here goes something…
Deschain-Josh Brolin.
Not old enough, not haggard enough and certainly not imposing. Roland is the hardest man on earth. This guy nearly made Cimi Dretto crap himself on first sight. Roland is, like Jules Winnfield’s wallet declares, one bad MF.
Eddie Dean-Edward Norton.
Sadly too old, by a long shot. Eddie is in his twenties. In his younger days I may have agreed with you, not a completely terrible choice
Susannah Dean- Rosario Dawson.
Eh, not too sure on this one. Can’t say she has the fire Suze shows in the books. That, and she’s still too young.
Jake Chambers- Kodi Smit-McPhee, the little dude that’s gonna be in The Road w/ Viggo Mortensen. The Australian accent could work.
Please tell me that was a joke. Please. I think that last comment was possibly even more moronic than the suggestion of Devon Aoki. “The Australian accent could work” could it? You want the epitome of confused, dysfunctional AMERICAN kid to have an Australian accent. Wow, you’re an idiot.
Alain Johns- Matt Damon.
Yeah… Despite the fact that Alain is around 14 years old, sure. Read the books, please and get your facts straight.
Cuthbert Allgood- I actually agree with Levitt.
And I actually agree with you (although technically we both agree with the author of this very good list)
Susan Delgado- Olivia Wilde
No. Flat out NO! Susan is merely a year older than Roland, who has barely entered his teens. 13 could never pull that off. Are your neurons… You know what, never mind.
Randall Flagg- Christian Bale, although Irons could do it too
Bale? As one of the most evil men in the multiverse? Unless he pulls a Ledger/Joker I just don’t see this happening. There are plenty of actors far better suited to the task, but only a few who could pull it off. Christian Bale is not one of them.
The Crimson King- Sir Ian McKellan
Not a terrible suggestion, but, despite a good turn as Gandalf, Christopher Lee is more imposing and better suited to the task.
Dandelo- Gerard Butler
To play the psychic vampire who claims to have been a standup comedian, you’re suggesting the king of the Spartans? Really? Dandelo does not appear intimidating or dangerous, which is why he is able to lure Roland and Susannah into his lair. Steve Buscemi would be a far more obvious choice.
Eldred Jones- Kiefer Sutherland
Um, yes… If you ignore the fact that Jonas is at least 20 years older and that Sam Ellliot is still alive.
The Big Coffin Hunters
Depape- Bruce Campbell
Other than the fact that Depape is in his late twenties, sure, a perfect casting. Once again, have you actually read the books?
Reynolds- Paul Bettany. Dye his hair red and take 20 years off him and he might pass as a Coffin Hunter who is described as incredibly handsome (Bettany does NOT fill this category).
Thorin- Devon Aoki
As I asked in my previous post, to which Thorin are you referring? Seeing as both of them are at least in their forties or fifties, Caucasian and actually require a measure of acting talent to play, I somehow can’t see this working.
Mordred Deschain- David Wenham (Dilios from 300)
The bastard son of Roland of Gilead needs to be far more intimidating and at least a decade younger.
Tick-Tock Man- Christopher Walken
You couldn’t be further off the mark if you tried to cast Gerard Butler as Harry Potter (I think the Scottish accent could work). Ticky is the size of Arnold in his bodybuilding heyday and most likely in his thirties. Did you just pick random actors’ names out of a hat for this list?
“I’m pretty sure a cast like this will destroy some part of the universe, but it’ll be well worth it.”
How? In what universe would butchering Stephen King’s life’s work be “worth it”?
I LOVE the idea of Tim Curry doing Blaine’s voice. That one is inspired.
OK, I have to register a disagreement here (OK, two disagreements).
First, can we stop with the thoughts of casting roles in the Dark Tower story with the same actors that played the somewhat corresponding characters in the Lord of the Rings movies? I mean, I love watching Mortenson’s acting as much as anyone, but having the guy who played Aragorn also play Roland would be just plain weird, not to mention seen as a major, MAJOR copycat move by King and the Dark Tower producers. I mean, despite being completely different stories, they do have enough similarities already. Casting Lord of the Rings actors in similar Dark Tower roles just simply would not work.
Second, for all the complaints here (and even insults thrown at other posters for “not actually reading the books”), do those suggesting Diane Kruger as Susan Delgado not realize that Susan was only around 16 years old in the story, and Diane Kruger just turned 33? She’ll likely be in her late 30s by the time this is filmed. I mean, she already looked quite a bit older in the last National Treasure movie, for crying out loud. How anyone thinks she would be even remotely believable as a 16 year old is beyond me. Not to mention whatever 14/15 year old looking actor they get to play the teenage Roland having sex with her. It would look like Roland was doinking his mom or something, and that is DEFINITELY not the route I want to see these movies take.
Now i’ll admit that i’m a noob when it comes to the dark tower story. I’m only about half way through the 2nd book, and I’m giddy like a little boy at the fact that there is going to be a movie made. I’ve read through most of the recommendations for the actors and wanna leave my two cents on the table.
Roland - If Clint Eastwood isn’t going to play him, then going on my own gut and other artists’ rendering i would say Hugh Jackman or Dylan Mc Dermot (sp) Jackman, i think is the best of the two because of what i saw in the fountain. **Half Jokingly What about George Clooney?*** Half Jokingly. what about guy pearce?
Eddie Dean - I was thinking edward norton most of the time, but one of the folks on here mentioned Sam Rockwell, while another mentioned Jared Leto. either one would be better than norton for the part. Jeremy davies may be able to play him to
Detta/Odetta/Susannah - I’m not really sure. Angela bassett, rosario dawson, vivica fox, even (I know) Whoopi Goldberg crossed my mind. Who Knows.
Cort - This is where i’m pretty sure i know whoo should play him and that’s Billy Drago from Briscoe county Junior. He’s a stark, evil looking man that could play a cruel teacher. willem dafoe could do this also
henry dean - the perfect actor for him would be a machinist-era christian bale, but that won’t happen possibly this could be edward norton, i dunno.
The Man In Black - Malcom McDowell??? Bill Nighy?? Gary Oldman??? *I’ll get it for this one….Nick Cage???
Roland’s Dad - Eastwood, nuff said
not sure about the rest, honestly roland’s ka-tet in wizard and glass will probably be played by unknowns.
I think the obvious choice for Roland is Christopher Walken. He presents both age and a kind of other worldly presence and has piercing blue eyes. ~
I like what everone has here. Only changes would be, Liam Neson for Randell Flagg, if he could drop the accent and be more like Briar, Jake actor dye his hair dirty blonde, and big change, when Roland walks out the highest door of the tower and still has some sort of memory of what just happened, he’s Clint Eastwood, and fades back to Veggo ,or whom ever, as the memory fades!?!? Other big one, Make it all mini-serius on HBO, except Wizard in Glass. WIG should be a full feature film incompassing WIG, Gun Slinger Born, The Long Journey Home, and Trethory!!! We all (constent readers) know them all as the whole story! Maybe even through Clint in there as Steven’s “face of the father”? If not Steven’s part!?! There’s my 2 bitts. Regardless, JJ and King will make it happen!!!
I take it back. The “whom ever” I refered to, would be Berry Pepper. He’s got all of the acting chopps to play Roland, young Roland, and any other Roland you want! Pepper!!
Oh yeah, through Avenged Sevenfold’s, Strenght Of The World somewere into the credits. Google the lyrics and listen to it at the same time and you’ll see what I mean!
The original list is amazing. Parker was way off in the first post, to many big stars. However, I think that Alan Rickman would be an amazing Randall Flagg.
The only suggestion that Parker made that I did like was the casting of Bruce Campbell. That would be a nice little nod to the silly side of horror which SK has divulged in from time to time.
I love what Abrams did with Star Trek, but the Dark Tower series is something that you have to put serious thought into before putting it to the screen. The best King adaptations so far have been dramas with very little fantasy/horror (Green Mile/Shawshank/Stand By Me).
The Dark Tower is King’s masterpiece…I just hope Abrams knows that, and treats it as such.
anyone here who picked actors who are known and have big names or have been in about a thousand movies… youre all a bunch of fucking morons who, im glad will never pick actors for any movie that will ever be made.
any series this good needs no name actors who, A: either have never been seen in big name US films or B: have just never been seen.
such minor roles as susan, it doesnt matter who gets picked. throw in some hot girl(all she did was fuck roland and act a priss) and wham. perfect.
i cant stand seeing the same god damn actors in films. Hollywood is a sham. pick big names and put them in any/every movie they can just to make a dime. story? plot? substance? who the fuck wants that! i want flash and sparkle!
JJ abrams does make good material.. and thats the only thing going for the series right now, and he knows how to pick actors for characters, but i guess we’ll see how much hes sold out now that hes got some weight under his belt.
i could go on forever, but i suppose ill let you trolls gripe and waste on this for a while.
To an extent, I agree cp. Like I said before, having Aragorn also be Roland would make the entire thing a big, fat waste of a joke. However, I wouldn’t say that the “approach” needs to be locked into all no name actors. I think it needs to be the actor who will best portray all of the qualities of the character. And a few of those choices will likely be fairly well known actors. But you’re right, it shouldn’t be locked into that, either.
Roland= Hugh Laurie
Roland: Daniel Lewis
Eddie: James McAvoy
Jake: Unkown actor be best
Susanna : Rosario Dawsom
Flagg: Tom Cruise
But imagine if Jack Nicholson was young now…. oh how awsome would that be to have him as Flagg??
The rest is just filler and I so hope they do not dwell on the Mejis story though Levitt would be awsome as Cuthbert it’s just not needed for series. Keep it at a 5 minute flashback at the most…
Roland Deschain
- Jim Caviezel
- Daniel Day Lewis
I’m listening to the audiobooks and I am about 4 hours into wizard and glass, and whoever it is that reads the book for these audiobooks (he does all the steven king audiobooks that iI’ve listened to) needs to be the narrator for the movie. But as i listen to this movie. I really think that Hugh Jackman is the best bet to play roland. Daniel Day Lewis is a great choice and he needs to be in this movie.
I’m gonna get made fun of for this, but whenever i pictured the man in black, i got a picture of the man in black from disney’s meet the robinsons. And i think that the closest human equivalent to that is either Daniel day lewis or terry o’quinn, and terry o’quinn isn’t lanky enough. Lewis has proved he can be a very VERY Bad Guy in Gangs of new york. Just picturing in my head Jackman and Lewis holding palaver in the Golgotha makes me break out in gooseflesh…lol
Viggo Mortenson IS Roland hands down!! If you look at his past work, his style, his acting ability, and his age, he was born for this role. Hugh Jackman could probably pull it off in the first couple of scenes, but half way into to the the very FIRST movie it would be a stretch for him to come off believable. Also I think Shia Lebeouf would be a good Eddie Dean. He’s the right age and he seems to have a comical side to his acting which anyone playing Eddie needs to have. Also Justin Long (from Live Free Die Hard) would also be an excellent choice for Eddie Dean. As for the rest of the cast I really don’t have any favorites although I think Taraji P. Henson ( from Curious Case of Benjamin Button) would be one helluva of a Odetta/Detta Walker (the woman can ACT!!)
The only one who can really cast for this Is Stephen King..
Who knows about the caracters better than him??
My advice well I think Viggo Mortensen seems to be the best guy to play our dear Roland..!
Daniel Day-Lewis as Roland.
I swear to God this needs to happen.
John D its funny cuz I wanted Daniel Day Lewis 2 play the man in black. For Roland I thought Bill from true blood would b an excellent choice. He has that stern strong face with those blue eyes. He cant b that pale of course and he’d have 2 taket hat painful southern drull out of his voice. but oh yes I believe its possible. For Eddie dean I was thinking either Ed Norton or hands down ryan renolds. For Susannah id pick Angela Basset although she may b 2 old now. U cant just put ne old actress for that roll. Has 2 b one who could carry on a powerful performances. Halley Berry cooooooooooooould do it but…that just such an obvious choice. idk who could play Jake. I saw w.e u posted and he may look the part(kinda) Jake is very mature. idk who could play him. If Halley Joel Osmand was still younger it would b great. Id have no doubt he could do it. but hes old and strange looking now. Hmmmmmmmmmm. idk who else would play who.
Roland - Viggo Mortenson - I see him and it looks good, skinny for the starving part, and just good part for westerns
Eddie - Ben Foster or emile hirsch - I think they both would look good as Eddie. Emile Hirsch would have to lose a lil weight at first but other than that good. And Ben Foster isn’t in enough movies, and hardly a starring role, this could be his brake out.
Susannah - Halle Berry - Halle hasn’t been in any movies lately and just looks like the part. But in alot of her movies (besides monster ball for the obvious reasons) just ruined some movies.
Jake - Josh Hutcherson - He just looks like a regular kid that would go to school now a day and would just fit in fine.
Man In Black - Jim Carrey - Someone mentioned his name and I thought what are you thinking than I look toward 23 and Jim looked so dark and not his regular crappy family comedy. If he still has his grays it would be good. Than when they are talking about Rolands past they could make him young looking again.
Hell, I never considered Jim Carrey as Flagg, but the more I think about it, the more i can see it work. The hysteria, the dark humor, the constant undertone of amusement, and then the sudden shift to cruelty. He could pull it off!
For Roland, I’d say Christian Bale would be good. Some people call his acting “bland”, but I think his style is perfect for Roland, introverted, stoïc and somewhat arrogant.
Sam Elliott IS Eldred Jonas, of course. No doubt about it.
James McAvoy as Eddie would definitely work, i’m good for that.
And oh man, if only Clint Eastwood would be willing to play Steven Deschain, that rugged and engraved face looking down upon 14-year-old Roland as he shivers in the lower city of Gilead, can you imagine it?
Overall, i’d say OP’s list is great :))
I don’t know if he could still look like a guy in his early 20s by the time they film these movies, but if he could, Tru Calling’s Shawn Reaves would be the PERFECT Eddie Dean. I mean, his Harrison Davies character in Tru Calling IS Eddie Dean. To a “T”.
Much like all of you, when I learned that there was talk of a Dark Tower movie, I was at first extremely excited. That was about a year ago now.
Now, I just can’t see it happening, no way in Hell no thanks. Someone needs to talk Mr. King out of handing over his life’s work to the likes of hollywood. I have seen too many movies which had really good acclaim completely bomb, many of them adapted from books.
Also, the way some of you are thinking too outisde the box for lead and side roles is a little disturbing and too much like what hollywood would ultimately do to Mr. King’s Magna Opus. However, the rest of you people have a few good choices no matter how well known or largely unknown the actor/actress may be. I’m sorry people, but many of you need to agree with me.
In the end, the big wigs in tinseltown will rip through this work of art, gut it out and rebuild on it’s foundation until we can’t recognize it anymore. Some stories are just too good or too beautiful (or both) to have their insides hollowed out and filled with something lighter rather than staying heavy with deep meaning and feeling.
Maybe that’s just me, but I’m sure people are going to start agreeing with the idea that this story is just too precious and epic to be torn open, pulled inside out and thrown onto a screen. In the event that The Dark Tower is made and released to theaters or, god unwilling, television then I’ll have to go and see it.
Contradictive to my point, I know. But God help me, I want nothing more than to see the ‘territories’ I want to explore Mid-World and End-World. In Eddie Dean’s words in The Waste Lands Book 3 of The Dark Tower
“I want to see it Roland. Can you dig what I’m telling you? I want to see the Tower.”
Or in Jake Chambers’ words
“And that’s the truth”
What I mean to say is, isn’t reading the books and now graphic novels enough? What are our imaginations for anyway if we never use them?
If you fellow fans care enough even one iota about The Dark Tower, then we can all speak out against it being adapted to film. We can’t let hollywood have it’s way with a story as epic or masterful as this. We mustn’t allow hollywood to reach The Dark Tower.
Stumbled on this and I just had to add that I completely agree about Viggo Mortenson being Roland. My own vision of Roland is that he’s quiet but a stern sort of quiet (quiet, not out of being meek but just not being a small talker). Viggo can also shirk the soft spoken aspect too and be strong. Great choice!
Emile Hirsch as Eddie
Shia Labeouf=Eddie Dean
End of discussion.
<~~~Throws down microphone and walks away.
as far as a musical score, I’m all for some titanic orchestrated cacophony of sorts. but if nothing else I would have really loved to see the opening scene(s) play out to NIN’s “The day the world went away”….like some faded and ghostly time elapsed horror of Roland’s world collapsing in on itself until we are left watching the gunslinger’s pursuit of the man in black across the Mohaine desert.
I’ve pictured this for quite some time now,and unfortunately that dream was shattered when they released the recent Terminator piece of shit Goddamn it.
Well, maybe “Hurt” will be in there somewhere. Even the ol’ Man In Black’s version. That makes sense I suppose.
Screw the casting. There will be water if god wills it.
josh halloway should be roland. (sawyer from lost) without the hick accent.
as for eddie, i was thinking jared leto. think of requiem for a dream.
This is an extremely difficult film to cast. Jake has to stay the same age over the course of seven movies which would, realistically, take at least 10 to 12 years to film. Roland has to be timeless as said by a post above. Then you have the younger Roland who has to bear some resemblence. I like a lot of this articles picks but I would scramble some of them. Viggo would be great but he’d never do it. He’s done his epic, although he fits the role. Joseph Gordon Levitt is the perfect Eddie. This was confirmed when you picked him for Cuthbert a role he’s too old for. Cuthberts 15 folks. But since Cuthbert and Eddie are supposed to be similar in a lot of ways and appearance being one of them I think you picking JGL for Cuthbert only confirms my idea to have Eddie be played by JGL. I can’t disagree with any of your other picks. I just can’t wait to see these. And now that I’ve written this and posted nothing new that wasn’t already said before I’ll sign off.
You are correct about the difficulty in filming 7 movies with the same actor playing a same-aged Jake throughout. That is why I’m guessing they will try to film all of his parts, across all the movies, in a very short amount of time. Of course, that means they’d have to have the scripts of all the movies done within that same short time span. A difficult task, and possibly one of the things they are having to work out as we speak, before they can even consider moving forward with the project.
hi…
i just saw the movie “Firecracker”, and let me tell you, Mike Patton is not only a great actor… he is also perfect for the Man in black role
Some of you are retarded! I’ll admit I hadn’t thought of McAvoy for Eddie, and that might work. But if it was up to me. Eddie would be played by Jared Leto. Requiem For a Dream anyone? We know the Leto can play Brooklyn/Bronx, we definitely know he play a junkie (heroin junkie no less), and he’s even got the look I think. I haven’t thought about the others as much though, so I’m willing to entertain some of these other’s ideas.
I’m sure the cast will be brilliant whomever they choose, but as Roland, I’d really like to see Ed Harris or Daniel Craig, who both are accomplished actors who’d suit the anti hero perfectly.
Oooh forgot to say, DD Lewis would be insparational, as the fines actor in a long time, however I think the producers would struggle getting him….
Roland Deschain= Thomas Kretschmann…… rugged good looks…and gorgeous blue eyes…..
the one thing that i hate is everyone is always looking at the “popular” actors or actresses….. Halle Berry. Yeah she is beautiful but I don’t think she fits the part of susannah. if you want someone popular why not jada pinkett smith. although i don’t really like her for the part either.
We all have our opinions Mia and I respect yours, but Kretschmann seems too girly for the role to me.
I was thinking Guy Pierce as Roland. His look in the Time Machine is similar and I think he could pull it off.
Also for Roland, Viggo would be great, if anyone has seen Apaloosa, they’ll know. Or even Ed Harris…but he’d probably fit better into Steven Deschain
Ok…final post…thought of another possibility for Roland: Javier Bardem (Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men). Great actor and has the right facial structure for the role, though he may be too dark.
Josh Brolin was another thought, but I think he may be too small or skinny for the role.
Yes…Javier Bardem would be perfect!
Roland - Stephen Moyer would make a perfect roland as he’s not overly hollywood and he has the blue eyes and a gritty look.
eddie dean - if they could get james mcavoy would be good, but his american accent in wanted was a bit crap. but hes somebody who fits that role perfectly for me.
susannah dean - thandi newton, cant think of anyone else, where i always thought of suze as being darker skinned and a bit chunkier. haha but she’d probably still be good.
jake - i cant think of anyone good for jake, if they went back in time and got that lad from the 6th sense i think he would’ve been good.
man in black - jeremy irons
cort - just throwing this one out there but i think ray winstone would make a wicked cort
I would tend to agree with Viggo as Roland and Zoe Saldana as Susannah, but, I don’t like James McAvoy as Eddie. I think Chris Evans. McAvoy’s too much of a priss. Like many others here have said, some kid for Jake, just not some kid like the one that played Anakin. As far as Flagg goes, he is the villain in most of King’s novels, whether by the same name or others, (Faraday, Legion), and he is epic. Even though I love Jeremy Irons, he is typecast and become a bit of a joke. Christian Bale…not quite evil enough. Ben Shepherd, I like.
Great job about choosing the character of Roland D.Viggo Mortenson is the best choice ever.Congratulations.I am delighted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh how I wish that Clint Eastwood were still at age 30-40 because he’d be perfect as Roland. But because it’s impossible, I’d say that for me there’s no other Roland than Viggo Mortensen. Too sad that to people who haven’t read The Dark Tower books the role of Roland and Mortensen’s other character Aragorn would seem almost the same.
I mean, Roland’s role needs someone very talented and also handsome looking to act it. Is there anyone who could ever act somebody so amazing that I’ve imagined Roland ..
But what would you think about Adrien Brody as Eddie Dean ?
And I agree that Zoe Saldana could be Susannah.
But Freddy Highmore as Jake ? I think he’s too childish for that part, because Jake grows so much mentally.
I can see Hugh Laurie as Father Callahan but also as Roland. He just has to play one of them ! And Clint Eastwood as Steven Deschain would be great.
roland = liam neeson
Roland- Viggo Mortensen … Stephen Moyer
Flagg- Jamey Sheridan … Marton Csokas
Voice of Blaine- Bruce Campbell… Patrick Warburton
Stephen Deschain- Only Clint will do
OY- Hugh Laurie
Crimson King- Elmo
Eddie- Hes too old but Mark Walberg
Stephen King- Dean Koontz
I really have no idea who I would cast as Roland or Eddie or any one else for that matter but from the moment I saw her she has been Susannah in my head. “she” is Gina Torres, she played Zoe on the short lived show “Firefly” and in the 2005 adaptation “Serenity.”
She is SMOKIN hot and looks badass with a gun!
If Hugh Jackman plays Roland I will never go to another JJ Abrams movie for the rest of my life. The “shower” scene in Australia was hideous and his constant comments about how his wife couldn’t keep her hands off him when he was training for the latest Wolverine project was overkill….like he was trying to squash rumours that he could be gay. Who cares.
Has anyone thought about Jared Leto as Eddie Dean? He seems unlikely, but honestly, look at him in requiem for a dream. He played a junkie from Brooklyn, so I figure it wouldn’t be too much a stretch.
As Roland, I heard they were going to cast Christian Bale, which… no sir. I don’t think I’d give the project a chance if he got the part. I would agree that maaaaaybe, Vigo, or possibly Kurt Russel. Other than an obvious fantasy choice like Eastwood ( which even if he still looked the part, I doubt he’d do it…) I’m not sure. If he weren’t a wash out, maybe Val Kilmer… however, I wouldn’t risk it as the parts he plays or either lame or dead on.
I don’t know about Susan/Odetta/Detta because you’d have to dig up an actress who could switch gears between moods smoothly enough to do it. It’s a shitty suggestion but, Rosario Dawson?
I agree with the Jake choice, but… I mean, any decent child actor around at the time it’s filmed who fits the description would do, really.
As for Flagg, though he may not seem like he’d look the part, Gary Oldman…from Fifth Element and True Romance, Bram Stoker’s Dracula… He’s a good method actor. He plays a good bad guy, and Flagg deserves that.
Other than that… the other choices are good, especially Cuthbert. Some asshole told me to consider Shia Labuff (sp???), but … no sir, again. no deal. I liked the kid in Brick, so excellent choice.
The rest… I’ll repost if I think up anything.
wow, so I just read all the responses and realize not a one of mine were completely original. but I still hold that Jared Leto should be Eddie.
Clive Owen couldn’t be roland. Listening to him in Sin City was… ok for a bit, but then, that stuffy american accent he put off made me want to blow my nose. Sure, action guy, but let’s not forget roland is a tortured guy. a deep thinker ( though apparently not so imaginative), so I’d say Daniel Day Lewis would be good ( thoug also mentioned) simply because he was the only reason worth watching Gangs of New York. Though… he could do a number of roles in the movie, so he wouldn’t be my top choice.
if it wasn’t for his shitty acting and bad delivery and heavy mexican accent, I’d say Eldred Jonas would be played by a limping, white haired Danny Trujo… but like I said, dude’s only good at looking hard. Maybe Kris Kristoferson? Tommy Lee Jones?
As for Roy Reynolds, I was thinkin, Bill Moseley.
I wish there were a part I could cast Jeremy Piven in. I know this is off track but if they did the Talisman, I’d opt him for Morgan Sloat.
John Malkovich… as Blaine? I’d shoot myself. He’s so fucking nasally. I was thinking more of a creepy voice. I mean He’s a robot, which might be up John Malko’s alley, but eh… I wish I could do my impression of him and how he sounds in every movie he does… it’s dead on, hand to god. Suggestion? none yet.
I think the young Stephen King should be played by none other than Joe Hill. He looks so much like his dad it’s scary! I see Viggo for Roland honestly but heard rumors that they’ve cast Christian Bale. With Jakes character you have to be careful, kids change so fast at that age. We would be talking at least 7 movies that would probably take about 7 years to complete. I’ve seen some good choices among the responses. Fun to read through.
oh and Thandie Newton would be a perfect Susannah!
Jessica, WHERE have you heard those rumours ? If it’s Christian Bale as Roland I think the movie will be just disaster. He’s just not good ebough and not roland-ish at all.
http://www.agonybooth.com/forum.aspx?g=posts&t=3024
http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a154951/bale-to-star-in-abramss-dark-tower.html
Here’s a couple links that I’ve seen it in. I suppose it isn’t set in stone but still out there. Also with the recent comments from JJ Abrams & Damon Lindelof, this project might be put on the back burner for a while unfortunately.
I think Bale is a decent enough actor but I don’t see him as a Roland character at all.
I think the character that were chosen fit the characters in the book were awesome.. Had a little doubt for Bale as Roland at first.. but I think that he would be able to pull him off.. He just needs that older, wiser look to him
I just can’t buy Bale as Roland. Honestly, I didn’t like him as batman. I mean he made a killer bruce wayne, however, that husky lisp he put on sucked. He was great in American Psycho. It’s just… you need a weather beaten type. Roland isn’t exactly a playboy. Viggo might do nice, I think because he can look rough around the edges. I mean unless Bale really has it buried in him somewhere that no one else can see, I dont see it.
And as far as a TV series, I am just afraid it’ll end up cheesy… unless they gave it a Band of Brothers kind of budget.
ok this is for JJ Abrams, realizing it’s going to take a while to make this movie, even if he starts work on the scrip in 2010, the casting might be tricky, here is a list of up and coming actors who I BELIEVE can be these parts, now or in a couple years, the first name for each character is my first choice, the other names are extra thoughts
most of these guys are picked for acting chops, not too many big names
Roland Deschain: Jon Hamm-i know i know, thats crazzzyyyy! and all that, but I see something in what he is, I think he can do it with distinction.
Stephen Deschain: CLINT
Randall Flagg: Christian Bale, because he can be downright EVIL
Martin: Mike Patton, seriously.
Susannah: Naomie Harris, then next pick, Sanaa Lathan, then kerry washington..close to the right age group, odetta had class, detta had kickass
Eddie: Joseph Gordon Levitt, yeah he’s scrawny, but he’s a smart ass who could do it, if he just COULD NOT do it, i guess i’d try cillian murphy?
Jake? depends on when the movie is being cast, can’t say right now, dont know when it’s going to happen, hope they get a kid who can act
Alain: lee pace, has the right spirit, or charlie hunam
Cuthbert: Ben Foster i guess, haven’t been able to find the right one
Jamie:Emile Hirsch,,,,maybe?
Cort: Ray Winstone, the voice of beowulf c’mon
Vanney the Wise: Guy Pearce, total educational counterpart to Cort
Tick Tock: Alexander Skarsgaard
Jack Andolini: James Gandolfini, (and it rythmes)
Balthazar: Jon Stewart, I think of The Faculty death scene
Jack Mort (the Pusher): maybe Tim Roth
Father Callahan: Owen Best
Sheemie: Adrien Brody
Dandelo: Javier Bardem or if it cant happen then Gerard Butler
The Crimson King: dang, this is almost as hard as choosing Roland, he’s got to be completely off his rocker and imposing maybe Clancy Brown? off the top of my head, watch the Carnivale show he did for hbo