JAVIER BARDEM PULLING THE TRIGGER FOR THE DARK TOWER

Don't get me wrong.  I love Bardem, but he is NOT the Gunslinger.  Maybe I need to move past Chigurh, but Bardem brings an element of physical menace that I don't associate with Roland.  Roland is a weather-beaten, wiry dude; an individual whose menace flows from his near-sociopathic devotion to finding the Dark Tower, as well as his weapons skills.  In other words, his menace flows from his mindset.  Viggo would have been excellent casting.  Eastwood a la 35 years ago would have been excellent casting.  I just see Bardem as being too physically intimidating.

That being said, I would love, love, love for him to prove me very wrong.

Also, what do I know?  I'm also the guy that suggested Joel McHale might make a good Flagg.

I think Bardem is one of awesomest human beings currently walking the earth. But he just doesn't feel like Roland right now. I'm fully confident he'll be great as usual, though.

Yup... Adding to the "I don't know about this" chorus. Bardem is a phenomenal actor. But he doesn't quite click as Roland for me.

There was a time when I would have said Russell Crowe. That time has long passed. Now, I was really on the Viggo love train. More so, since I recently saw the underrated (oh yes) Hidalgo. He could have combined the ruggedness he showed there with the edge he brought to Eastern Promises. That's Roland for me.

Bardem is a fantastic fucking actor and, as someone pointed out, he seems like a great human being. So I want to be proven wrong. I really do. And now I have no choice but to hope for the best. I'm still iffy on this whole thing. I don't know about Ron Howard (and, please JESUS GOD NO don't bring in Akiva Goldsman I beg of you in the name of all that is right and holy in the world we live in thank you very much yours truly Erix Antoine). I was actually kind of excited when Abrams was involved.

In any case, I understand there will have to be compromises... They'll go PG13 on this, of course. That's commercially sound and can work. But it's definitely R material... Ah, fuck it. I just hope they don't screw it up too much.

Since the article mentioned something about cast speculation?

Natalie Portman IS The Oracle.

...

Is it insane of me to submit that Quentin Tarantino might actually make a great Jack Mort?

Morgensten > Bardem > Bale.  

Should be interesting.  If anything, I think Bardem might be a little too charismatic for Roland.  

Bardem isn't my first choice (come on Viggo!) but I can see it. The man's eyes are how I imagine Roland's to be, and he does have a weatherbeaten look to him at almost all times. A little too buff, but that can be fixed with diet, etc. Roland's supposed to be a man who's walked a veeeeeeeeery long time, he should be strong, but not intimidating.

I just finished the series (jesus christ, King, get a fucking editor) and as long as the last shot is exactly the same as the first shot, I could be happy. I say this because it's Ron Howard and Akiva Goldsman so ugh...

Wait ...

Akiva Goldsman is involved?

FUCK!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ratty 
If anything, I think Bardem might be a little too charismatic for Roland.  

That's a bit of an odd comment to me. The entire series of The Dark Tower makes Roland out to be very charismatic.Insanely driven, single minded and a bit reluctant to speak, yes. But this is a guy who gets complete devotion from his friends when he lets them get close and who attracts attention as a shining beakon of an older, better time where ever he goes. How is Roland not charismatic?

As far as Bardem goes, he has an elusiveness that goes well with Roland, but he's obviously not the first guy I think of when searching for someone with the most piercing blue eyes you've ever seen. Still, I guess that's what contacts are for.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erix 

Wait ...

 

Akiva Goldsman is involved?

 

FUCK!!

 

 

Well said.
 

Yeah, Viggo IS The Gunslinger, the part is made for him. Bardem...not so much.

I was hoping for a last minute drop out from Bardem and a sign on from Mortensen.

I still don't really get how anyone thought Ron Howard was the right fit for this. To be fair, I actually thought The Missing was underrated. He brought an interesting dark edge to that western that would suit The Dark Tower just fine. But... What's his "fantasy" experience? Willow? The Dark Tower is very tough to pull off because of that merging of genres... It's both a western piece and a mythical fantasy. I don't know that Howard can do that.

And I'm almost positive Akiva Goldsman can't. But, if he's as slavishly faithful in adapting King as he was with Dan Brown, it might be serviceable. And, also to be fair, he's a writer and producer on Fringe - a good show. I even think he directed an episode and it wasn't terrible.

Most of this is just me justifying it to myself and trying to find every bit of good that I can about this project. Because nothing I've heard so far has me particularly excited. And this bit of casting news is just the latest in a series of disappointments.