After years of delays, the long-awaited adaptation ofStephen King’sThe Dark Toweris finally moving forward at Sony Pictures. The studio has set a July 26, 2025 release date, withNikolaj Arcel(A Royal Affair) set to direct. Today we have word fromDeadlinethatIdris Elbais the front runner to play the lead character Roland Deschain, withMatthew McConaugheyin talks to play the villainous Randall Flagg, a.k.a. The Man in Black.
We reported in November thatMatthew McConaugheywas actually offered both the Roland Deschain and Randall Flagg roles, and that the actor was “leaning” towards playing thevillain. As for the Roland Deschain role, the most recent discussions were down to Idris Elba andJavier Bardem, who was originally sought for the role when it was being set up at Universal Pictures, butIdris Elbais now the top choice. No deal has been made yet, and it isn’t known if an official offer has been extended to the actor quite yet.
The Dark Towerwas initially set up at Universal in 2011, whenRon Howardwas set to direct a trilogy of movies. The studio was also setting up two limited-runTV seriesset to air on NBC in between the films, before the project became too costly and was ultimately dropped. Warner Bros. was then eyeing the project, but they eventually passed, and the project appeared to be dead, when Sony Pictures picked up the rights back in April. Sony will be teaming with Media Rights Capital to co-finance the movies, with a “complimentary” TV series also being planned. It isn’t clear if the TV series will feature either Roland Deschain or Randall Flagg, or if it will follow secondary characters in this universe.
The Dark Toweradaptation will bringStephen King’s series of seven novels to life, which follows Roland Deschain, a.k.a. The Gunslinger, who sets off on a journey to findThe Dark Tower, rumored to be a portal to other worlds. This movie adaptation will be based on the author’s first novel in this series,The Gunslinger, which centers on Roland’s relationship with a young boy named Jake, who is from a different time and place. Randall Flagg is the primary villain in the novels, who tries to stop Roland from reachingThe Dark Tower. DirectorNikolaj Arcelis currently working on a rewrite of the script with Anders Thomas Jensen (Election Night).Akiva GoldsmanandJeff Pinknerworked on the initial draft.
Idris Elbacan currently be seen in the critically-acclaimedNetflixdramaBeasts of No Nation, which has been getting some Oscar buzz as of late. The actor will next be seen inStar Trek Beyond, and he is also providing voices for upcoming animated movies such asZootopia,The Jungle BookandFinding Dory. Do you thinkIdris Elbais a good choice to play Roland Deschain? Stay tuned for more updates onThe Dark Toweras casting continues.
