The success of Mike Flanagan’s upcoming The Dark Tower TV show hinges on the casting of the iconic Gunslinger, and these are a few possible actors who could fill his dusty cowboy boots. During an interview, Flangan announced that he would create and release the Stephen King epic series through Amazon Studios. Both Flanagan and fellow founder of Intrepid Pictures, Trevor Macy, said they even have the first image of the show in mind: “That first shot which comes right off at the first incredible sentence of the first book, The Gunslinger, I’ve had that image just rattling around in my head since I was an undergrad.”
That first image involves the Gunslinger traipsing across a desert plain in search of the enigmatic ‘Man in Black,’ and for Flanagan to successfully adapt King’s Dark Tower series faithfully, he will need a good Gunslinger. King’s epic eight novel series centers on the eponymous Gunslinger – Roland Deschain – and his quest to destroy the Dark Tower. He is depicted as a world-weary anti-hero, physically similar to the cowboys of old westerns and loosely based on Clint Eastwood’s ‘Man With No Name.’ Here are several actors who could fill the role:
Ewan McGregor
The Dark Tower is not Flanagan’s first crack at Stephen King’s source material, having successfully returned to the world of The Shining in his adaptation of Doctor Sleep. Here he teamed up with Ewan McGregor — no stranger to a horror movie — who played Danny Torrance. McGregor would make a terrific Gunslinger for several reasons. First, in returning to the character of Obi-Wan in Obi-Wan Kenobi, he had to exude world-weary wisdom, similar to the vibe Roland Deschain gives off in King’s first book.
Not only has McGregor chalked up an enviable catalog of great performances, but they also run the gamut from nuanced drama to big blockbuster action. A notable film that echoes some themes that run through The Dark Tower is Last Days in the Desert, where McGregor plays Jesus. His religious journey mirrors that of Deschain, and McGregor easily captures the somber spirit of a man on a mythic quest. McGregor would be more than able to pull off the complex yet jaded character of Deschain, the reluctant hero of King’s epic series.
Bruce Greenwood
Bruce Greenwood is a phenomenal actor who remains a solid choice to lead any TV show, from Star Trek to The River. He is also a common muse for Flanagan, who has cast Greenwood in several Intrepid Pictures productions. Most recently, Greenwood replaced Frank Langella in Flanagan’s The Fall of the House of Usher, which is set to be released next year. As a common supporting cast member, Greenwood often brings gravitas and stoicism. Most notably as Captain Christopher Pike in Star Trek and President John F Kennedy in Thirteen Days. He consistently remains a reliable and strong presence, attributes that would make Greenwood the perfect fit for a grizzled and powerful Gunslinger.
Scott Eastwood
While The Gunslinger appears physically about 50 years old in the books, time works strangely in King’s Dark Tower universe. This could open the door for any number of younger actors to pick up the warriors’ revolvers. Why not cast in the way King always wanted and get an Eastwood to do the job? Western icon Clint Eastwood influenced King’s Gunslinger, and while he is now clearly too old to either be interested in or able to play Roland Deschain, his son, Scott, could be a novel choice. The 36-year-old already has his father’s thousand-yard stare and has proven his action-hero credentials in films like Pacific Rim: Uprising and Wrath of Man. He would make a fine Gunslinger, and at 36, he’d easily be able to play Deschain for the potential five seasons Flannagan has hinted at.
Idris Elba
2017’s The Dark Tower was a well-cast dud. It lacked soul, depth, and purpose and failed to pay reverence to its complex and rich source material. The film let down fans and newcomers alike. It shouldn’t, however, be dismissed entirely because it got one thing very right, and that was the cast. A faithful The Dark Tower adaptation is essential, and Idris Elba gave it his all as the disenchanted, gravelly Gunslinger and oozed swagger. He looked the part and gave nothing away behind a cool, mysterious exterior. It isn’t unheard of to have actors return to play characters from bad films. Just look at Ryan Reynolds and what he managed to do with Deadpool after the mess that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Elba was the perfect Gunslinger and deserved another chance.
Elba is also a dab hand at playing reserved yet powerful lead characters. In Luther, he played the titular character with grit. A man physically and mentally on his own, fighting crime. He filled the role of a man on a personal mission to put the world right, arguably mirroring the personal crusade Deschain puts himself on in The Dark Tower. If the fan-cast possibility of Idris Elba as James Bond should never happen, the next best thing would be Elba as The Gunslinger.
Timothy Olyphant
Timothy Olyphant has cowboy swagger in spades. He is almost the real-life personification of a wandering cowboy. He came to the world’s attention as Sheriff Seth Bullock in Deadwood and has since popped up in almost every modern western, from Justified to Rango (where he voiced Clint Eastwood’s ‘The Man With No Name’ no less). Most recently, he captured just what it means to be a cowboy in space with his role as Cobb Vanth in both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.
Olyphant is the quintessential western hero and should be at the top of anyone’s list when casting Roland Deschain, the Gunslinger, in The Dark Tower. In Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, he was called on again to portray James Stacy in Quentin Tarantino’s version of Lancer. The original Stacy played Jonny Madrid back in the 60s, and it speaks to how naturally Olyphant captures the western charm that Olyphant was cast as the gun-toting cowboy. If Flanagan wants a true cowboy to lead his adaptation, he should look no further.
