CHRISTIAN BALE RACES TO THE TOP OF THE DARK TOWER

I approve of everything here. ESPECIALLY casting Susannah as white. That move drops ALL of the dangerous baggage that comes with that character, and I'll take that long before  have Ron Howard Paul Haggis his way around the race issue.

For some reason, I just never thought Bale would consider doing TV.

You know, I thought they would have a big problem navigating around all the Detta stuff. This is actually kind of clever.

Also, doesn't Bale have the little problem of a Batman movie to do over the next year or so?

Hurm. Well that's uh...is. Bale? I mean, the man can do gruff and tumble, for sure, but...oh well, maybe now he can bulk up a tad more rather than slim down.

And Susannah? Hmmm...I honestly don't know.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justin Clark 

I approve of everything here. ESPECIALLY casting Susannah as white. That move drops ALL of the dangerous baggage that comes with that character, and I'll take that long before  have Ron Howard Paul Haggis his way around the race issue.

 

For some reason, I just never thought Bale would consider doing TV.

 Agreed.  Susannah/Odetta was a landmine of potential offensive caricatures, so this is probably the best solution.  Purists will cry foul, of course, but if there's one thing this franchise doesn't need is fidelity to the books. 

Bale could work, I suppose, although it will probably render Roland so dour and humorless that he might alienate general audiences.  Not that Roland is a particuraly cuddly character to begin with. 

I could actually picture a American Psycho aged Bale playing a pretty good Eddie.

I agree with the article pretty much 100%. I've been a HUGE Bale fan since long long before the FIGHTER ( back when people were saying he could only play grim, I'd tell them to go watch RESCUE DAWN), and so I have no doubts he'll be great in the role. Still though, while I've never read the books, it did seem like it was arole Viggo was born to play, and I can't help but feel slightly sad that he didn't get the chance to shine here. Anyone who has seen THE ROAD knows he would have been perfect, but I guess I can't be too upset that the cool kids are now Bale fans again and so I wish him luck going forward

EDIT: Don't think too much of Bardem. He's OK, but he's possesses more of an imposing physical stature than actual talent, IMHO. Very over rated in the wake of NO COUNTRY

EDIT 2: Carpenter and Bale is a match made in heaven. I'm a huge fan of hers, and hope she's cast with all haste. So what if she's not black? The character in the novel is black, not necessarily the character in the script. That doesn't seem like an important change to me unless her race factored heavily into the story

Ugh...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Princess Kate 

 

EDIT: Don't think too much of Bardem. He's OK, but he's possesses more of an imposing physical stature than actual talent, IMHO. Very over rated in the wake of NO COUNTRY

 

 

I love Bale but hate him for this role. When this project was announced the first image that popped into my head was Viggo. My excitement for this project just went down a whole hell of a lot. And it's not just because Viggo didn't get the role, but because Bale just seems so, so wrong for it.

Jennifer Carpenter somehow managed to be the worst actress in a tv series that also had Julie Benz as a regular.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abbott & Prospero 

Jennifer Carpenter somehow managed to be the worst actress in a tv series that also had Julie Benz as a regular.

IMHO, no. She's really good. Check out QUARANTINE for further proof of her deft acting skill. I bet she could hold her own against Christian Bale, or at the very least acting against him would get her to raise her game

Bale would be okay, but I agree, he's a bit too young.  Plus, I'm sick of seeing him playing grim anti-heroes in big budget franchise crap.  Get someone different, let them make the character their own.

I'm all for curbing some of the troublesome/problematic Detta and Odetta shit, but making the character white isn't the answer.  I can guarantee they're not making her white because of that.  It frankly pisses me off and I'm surprised more people don't seem to have a problem with it. 

     Quote:

Originally Posted by Princess Kate

 

So what if she's not black? The character in the novel is black, not necessarily the character in the script. That doesn't seem like an important change to me unless her race factored heavily into the story

Until you have actually read the series, or at least the first two books, please stop talking.

     Quote:

Originally Posted by Parker 

 

I'm all for curbing some of the troublesome/problematic Detta and Odetta shit, but making the character white isn't the answer.  I can guarantee they're not making her white because of that.  It frankly pisses me off and I'm surprised more people don't seem to have a problem with it. 

If they cast a white actress for the role of Sussanha, fuck this movie. I'll repeat. Fuck this movie!

This rumour has to be bullshit.

It'd be a lot more interesting to see Bale play Eddie than have him do his gruff, dour leading man schtick yet again.

Just don't make Detta a brazen a fucking stereotype. Have her be the bitchy, manipulative one without having to resort to gross, outdated generalizations. Replace "honky mah'fahs" with "you sons of whores" and the idea remains largely in place. What is so difficult about this Ron Howard?

I'm incensed about it, and I too am surprised more people aren't frustrated.  I think Susannah needs an update, but I think it could be solved by a solid rewrite, and by casting a strong African American actress. Let her have input into what that character says, does, and thinks.  I would respect that a lot. I don't think the answer is just "Oh, fuck, we can't do that. Let's cast a white woman."

For heaven's sake, even letting some of that stereotype in could add some fascinating context -- that Detta draws on what we perceive, rather than what is...you know? Not present in the book, but a layer that would be intriguing.  (Man, I need to reread these.)

I'm hoping it's the red flag that betrays the NY Post story is crap in general, but if it comes true ... I can't wait to tear that piece of news apart on the front page

Yeah, I don't think casting white is going to get around any concerns whatsoever. It's just taking yet another major role away from an African-American actress. There are much easier ways to deal with Detta. I'm actually of the opinion that you can even deal straight-up with the fact that the character is a walking racist stereotype--King's intent seems to have been (sometimes I think he gets a little off-point) that Detta was Odetta's self-loathing given human form, logical enough for a woman involved in the civil rights movement. But if you think that's too complicated a minefield to navigate (and Ron Howard is probably not the guy to manage it) just do what Elizabeth suggests.

Wasn't there also a point in the book where Eddie acknowledges that Detta sounded like a stereotype? I haven't read The Drawing of The Three in a long time, but Detta seemed like she was a defence used by Odetta, as someone who was black and crippled during the 60's. If you really have to cut down on the "honkey mahfas", by all means do it. But casting a white actress? Nah, it's got to be bullshit.

The right director and the right cast could probably let the stereotype fly.    Arguably, white people do play stereotypes all the time -- Southern Cracker, Irish drunk, Italian gangster, neurotic Jew, etc.  And people of those regions are very angered by that. Stereotypes suck no matter what color, religion, or nationality you are.

Please understand, I'm not making a "Oh, things suck for white people too!" argument at all.  And obviously its far more problematic and touchy for African-Americans when we're only decades away from those heinous stereotypes being committed to film.  Drunk Irishmen aren't exactly the same as Detta.

But I do think using stereotypes in a shocking and fictional context can be incredibly effective, such as in "The Death of the Last Black Man in the Entire World." You could do something like that in "The Dark Tower," easy.  But it would have to be the right combination of talent to pull it off.

You have to admit though. Whether it's a good or bad thing, deciding that instead of spending time writing around the difficult parts of a character you can also drive over said character with a bulldozer is a very efficient approach. 

I wish I'd read these books. I feel like Charlie with his nose pressed against the sweetshop window.

You're actually not missing much when you view them as a whole. They're the very definition of not sticking the landing.

 I'm stymied as well. Seems like a terrible shame to do that.

And I always saw Adrien Brody as Eddie.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stelios 

You have to admit though. Whether it's a good or bad thing, deciding that instead of spending time writing around the difficult parts of a character you can also drive over said character with a bulldozer is a very efficient approach. 

Bingo.

If anyone else was at the helm of this thing, I'd be more annoyed. I still trust Ron Howard far as I can throw him in terms of subtlety. I'd rather him not bother than try, and fail miserably.