The McConaissance continues.
Following years of poorly received rom-coms, Matthew McConaughey wasn't exactly a go-to guy in Hollywood. But what started with the independent film "Mud" and continued with critically acclaimed projects such as "True Detective" and "Dallas Buyers Club" was a successful run of well-received moves that established McConaughey as perhaps Hollywood's top leading man at the moment (he won an Academy Award and an Emmy along the way). All that was missing from his movie star resume was a blockbuster franchise (he passed on the lead villain role in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2"). But that may be about to change.
Stephen King's magnum opus series "The Dark Tower" has long been a target for major Hollywood studios. However, the vast scope and immense complexity of bringing such an ambitious project to life has kept it stuck in developmental purgatory for years. Yet after changing hands from Warner Bros. to Sony Pictures earlier this year, the project has found new life.
According to The Wrap, Sony has offered McConaughey one of two lead roles in their planned "Dark Tower" franchise. The first role is that of protagonist Roland Deschain, the last in the line of ancient noble gunslingers (think prime Clint Eastwood deposited into an other-worldly wasteland). Roland is the main character of the series and, thus, the likely option for McConaughey. But if the star really wants to test himself and make a run for a second Oscar, than it is the second role he should seriously consider.
The Man in Black, otherwise known as Randall Flagg, is a character King fans know all too well. He is the villainous entity who has taken on several different identities throughout King's prolific work and was the primary antagonist of "The Stand." Not so coincidentally (Ka is a wheel, after all), this was the same role Warner Bros. had eyed McConaughey for back when they were planning a mini-series adaptation of "The Stand."
Deschain, a western-style hero, shares similar cowboy-like traits as McConaughey. Additionally, the project is being produced by Ron Howard, who directed McConaughey in "EdTV." As such, everything is lined up for the actor to headline this as his own franchise vehicle. But we'd be remiss if we didn't say that the Man in Black is the flashier, and perhaps more interesting, of the two roles.
Nikolaj Arcel, who helmed the well-received Swedish version of "The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo," will be directing based off a script penned by Akiva Goldsman ("A Beautiful Mind"). Though "The Dark Tower" does not yet have a start date, Sony has scheduled it for a January 13, 2017 release.
We'll keep you posted as more details begin to emerge.
