The Dark Tower movie

As a fully addicted Tower junkie, I've spent a lot of time salivating over the impending film adaptation of Stephen King's Dark Tower series. For many years, I was convinced that the damn thing was impossible to film, because it spanned 7 volumes, many different worlds, and possibly hundreds of years in time. However, a couple of years ago I became aware that JJ Abrams, creator of Lost, Cloverfield, and Star Trek, had purchased the rights from Stephen King for $19 to begin the project in the summer of 2010. If anybody can do this thing, it's Abrams, and the fact that the rights deal was made for $19 solidifies my opinion that Abrams "gets it."

I also read recently that there was speculation that he would block shoot the entire series, which basically means he would shoot the ENTIRE multiple volume series in one massive, epic project, and then chop it up into installments in the editing room. That way, the entire cast would be locked in for the entire thing. Plus, this type of filming style guarantees that tiny cross-references from one film to the other are not "misplaced." I also read that Abrams and King were unsure whether it would be an extended TV series special (HBO or Showtime, for example), or a multiple-release for the cinema.

All the excitement has lead me to create my own Dark Tower soundtrack album (featuring all the prominent songs mentioned directly in the series), and spend a lot of time speculating on the perfect cast. So, here they are, keeping in mind that both Abrams and Stephen King like to recast the same folks from project to project in order to keep things "in the family:"


Thomas Jane as Roland Deschain. Jane has already starred in two of King's film adaptations (Dreamcatcher and The Mist) and is perfect for playing the dichotmously dark sided anti-hero. Plus, there's that amazingly cool scene at the beginning of The Mist where Jane's character has been working on an original painting that is obviously poster art for The Dark Tower. It would be the perfect "ka is a wheel" connection.


Dominic Monaghan as Eddie Dean. Monaghan plays Charlie in Abrams' TV series Lost, and has proven he can play a funny yet deadly heroin addict.


Zoe Saldana as Susannah/Odetta/Detta. She played Uhura in Abrams' Star Trek, and Neytiri in Avatar, and she's definitely the most kick-ass black female actress out there.


Kodi Smit-McPhee as Jake Chambers. The kid knocked me out in his portrayal of The Boy in The Road, and I've thought he was perfect for Jake ever since I saw him.


Matthew Fox as Flagg/Marten/Walter. I'm a little on the fence about this one, but I'm going with the fact that he magnificently plays Jack on Abrams' Lost. He can definitely turn on the creepy vibe when it's needed.


Jeremy Irons as Father Callahan. He's perfect, plus he would bring a lot of depth to a character who grows on me more and more each time I read it.