If you said to me that Matthew McConaughey was going to star in The Dark Tower films being made I’d instantly think he’d be playing Roland, the Stephen King series’s protagonist. However, Variety is reporting that he’s been offered the role of villain for the first film, The Gunslinger.
The Man in Black (aka Randall Flagg) is the evil sorcerer that Roland is chasing in the first installment of the twisting, massive series that is set to be a giant cinematic and televised universe. I think McConaughey is actually good for the role. On deeper thought his a bit too slick for Roland, but just slimey enough for Flagg. It’s especially good casting for the first book, which is a kind of psychological sci-fi western that relies heavily on its characters.
Landing McConaughey for the role would be a huge boost for this series actually, finally getting done. Hopefully Sony can do it. The story also confirms that the first movie will be called The Gunslinger.