Writer/director Josh Boone is working on adapting Stephen King's epic novel THE STAND into multiple films at Warner Bros. During this process, one the actors said to be on the project's casting wish list is Matthew McConaughey, and while the loudest rumblings have been that McConaughey was being eyed for the role of the evil Randall Flagg, Boone has said that he'd actually like the Texas-born actor to play the story's primary protagonist, Texas-born character Stu Redman.
Over at Sony and MRC, producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are apparently thinking along similar lines for their adaptation of King's epic THE DARK TOWER saga, an adaptation that will include both films and a television series. TheWrap has heard that Howard and Grazer have offered McConaughey his pick of two roles: he could play heroic gunslinger Roland Deschain, or his adversary, the evil Man in Black… a character who is, as King's constant readers know, Randall Flagg.
McConaughey has never officially signed on for THE STAND, but word is that he's interested in closing a deal for THE DARK TOWER, and in this case he's leaning toward taking on the role of the Man in Black.
While it would be incredible to have McConaughey playing Randall Flagg in both THE DARK TOWER and THE STAND, the fact that the projects are set up at different studios makes that highly unlikely.
If McConaughey signs on to play the villain, the search for a Roland will continue. This adaptation has been in the works for a long time, and at different points in the past Javier Bardem and Russell Crowe have both been on board to play the gunslinger.
Nikolaj Arcel will be directing THE DARK TOWER from a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman and Jeff Pinkner. The film is set to reach theatres on January 13, 2017.