CAST THIS: Roland the Gunslinger

When I first finished Stephen King’s The Dark Tower saga, I immediately put it down and thought, “That would make one hell of a film series.” Then I sat and thought about it, and decided it would probably be impossible to film, as it’s too high a concept for anyone to devote seven movies to it, and really, it can’t be abridged.

Even JJ Abrams, of mindf*ck Lost fame backed away even though King at one point specifically requested him to handle it. Now Ron Howard is stepping up to the plate to adapt the books into a movie/TV series in what is sure to be one of the most ambitious projects of the decade. And now, we need a star.

Recently there’s been talk about who could fill the role of the Gunslinger himself, Roland Deschain, but I’ll forgo listing those names here so you have a clear mind to think for yourself.

A little background on the character, for those who haven’t read the book. King based him almost entirely on a Sergio Leone Clint Eastwood type character, so naturally he’d be perfect for the role. Thirty years ago that is.

But now we must find someone who has all of his badass characteristics, and fill this role that was so clearly meant for him all those years ago. Do we even have a new equivalent to Eastwood today? That’s what I aim to find out here.

Last Time: THE THREE STOOGES

In our last column, we took a look at the struggling THREE STOOGES project which has now lost all of its principal cast members, and needs replacements to move forward. Who did you pick for each role?

1. Moe – Christian Bale, 2. Larry – Louis CK, 3. Curly – Kevin Heffernan

Alright, so there wasn’t a terrible large amount of consensus, so I took thumbs up voting into account as well. I like the Christian Bale selection because as the submitter says, he does need to “lighten up.”

Louis CK is just a great comedic actor, and Kevin Heffernan, or Farva as you know him, has been gone from the screen for far too long. And really, aren’t we tired of Zach Galifianakis?

OK, how about Roland Deschain?