The Dark Tower series filmed adaptation

[Johnny Alien]

Roland Deschain is not a black guy. Why on earth would they cast him that way?

For diversity.

I'm not against the concept of turning white characters to POC in general -- I could see Idris Elba as James Bond -- but with Roland it's just going to be distracting. If they had to do it Jake is really the only one I could see working.

"For diversity" is a terrible reason to cast a part. For a role that doesn't really matter, sure, get the best actor for the job (and if that happens to be Morgan Freeman, then more power to you). But Roland as a black guy makes as much sense as making Odetta a white chick. Jake? Sure. He could be a black kid. Why not? Even Eddie the junkie could be black. But Roland is a gunslinger of the line of Authur the Eld. His family is akin to royalty in the inner baronies. Based on the internal logic of the stories, there's no way Roland can be black unless you merely see Roland as a "badass dude" who could be played by anyone. Hell, if all you want out of the part is a badass dude, might as well cast Chow yun-fat.

Switching Eddie would impact the story way more. Roland being from the line of Eld means absolutely nothing as the line of Eld is completely fictitious. Other than the "looking like King" thing there is really nothing in the story that would be impacted by Roland being black. That is untrue with both Eddie and Susannah. Honestly they should get the best actor they can. If that happens to be a black guy and it doesn't require changing the story to do so then I say go for it.

Them giving legs to Susannah would be a much greater crime.

[Randall Flagg]

Switching Eddie would impact the story way more. Roland being from the line of Eld means absolutely nothing as the line of Eld is completely fictitious. Other than the "looking like King" thing there is really nothing in the story that would be impacted by Roland being black. That is untrue with both Eddie and Susannah. Honestly they should get the best actor they can. If that happens to be a black guy and it doesn't require changing the story to do so then I say go for it.

Them giving legs to Susannah would be a much greater crime.

Isn't the entire story fiction?
Hollywood can do as they please.
I loved The Shining Novel, and I loved Kubrik's movie.
King hated the movie.

As I mentioned upthread, if you are going to throw the original character out, then why not make it a dope smoking comedy like The Night Before?

Spoiler:

Loved that movie BTW

[mavsfan0434]

I'm just not sure how Roland can be played by an African American. I love Idris, great actor, but it just wouldn't work. The whole relationship between two main characters would be ruined

[mae]

[Jon]

I'm just not sure how Roland can be played by an African American. I love Idris, great actor, but it just wouldn't work. The whole relationship between two main characters would be ruined

I'm just not seeing that. Someone please explain how this will fundamentally change his relationship with Susannah. Sure, the "Honkey" jokes are out but I suspect they were out anyway. Just loose the "playin' wit yo' white candles" jokes...or change it to just "candles.

[Cordial Jim]

So does that mean that Susannah is now going to be white? I'm totally against this potential casting decision. WTH!?

[Johnny Alien]

I'm just not seeing that. Someone please explain how this will fundamentally change his relationship with Susannah. Sure, the "Honkey" jokes are out but I suspect they were out anyway. Just loose the "playin' wit yo' white candles" jokes...or change it to just "candles.

Agreed. I came to the conclusion that it doesnt matter because I just dont see how it changes one aspect of his character. As long as Eddie is white, Susannah's character and interaction can essentially remain the same. What part of Roland's character would change in a fundamental way by being a different color?

[divemaster]

Because of his lineage and status within the internal framework of the story. Was Stephen Deschain, descended from Arthur Eld, black? This part of the story is basically comparable to the Camelot legend. The Deschain family is akin to minor royalty in a world that King presents as castle-fantasy white folks. How weird would it be to have Cuthbert and Alain and "the black kid." How would that have played out in the backstory of Wizard and Glass? There would be a completely different dynamic of how the town folks responded to Roland. It would be one thing if the inner baronies was a melting pot of ethnicity, but I don't get that from the stories. Roland as a black kid would be merely a curiosity in that world.

Now, Eddie is a junkie pulled out of NYC. There are plenty of Black junkies. Or Hispanic, Asian. White. That's just luck of the Draw. Jake could be a black kid. Wouldn't turn too many heads.

Odetta pretty much HAS to be black. Her whole character depends on 2 major major factors: she's black (and her personalities are consumed with racial concepts), and she has no legs. If you change either one of those, you may have a good character; possibly even an interesting character--but you don't have the character of the Dark Tower saga. And a black Roland might be interesting to watch. But he'd just be some dude. NOT the Roland I've come to know and love. This would be a deal-breaker for me. I could never accept that the world King created is consistent with a black Roland.

[webstar1000]

For me... the acting will be key. Iris can pull it off but the fundamental changes needed from book to screen ruins it This could be as epic as LOTR, Harry Potter.. if done right.

[Johnny Alien]

Because of his lineage and status within the internal framework of the story. Was Stephen Deschain, descended from Arthur Eld, black? This part of the story is basically comparable to the Camelot legend. The Deschain family is akin to minor royalty in a world that King presents as castle-fantasy white folks. How weird would it be to have Cuthbert and Alain and "the black kid." How would that have played out in the backstory of Wizard and Glass? There would be a completely different dynamic of how the town folks responded to Roland. It would be one thing if the inner baronies was a melting pot of ethnicity, but I don't get that from the stories. Roland as a black kid would be merely a curiosity in that world.

Now, Eddie is a junkie pulled out of NYC. There are plenty of Black junkies. Or Hispanic, Asian. White. That's just luck of the Draw. Jake could be a black kid. Wouldn't turn too many heads.

Odetta pretty much HAS to be black. Her whole character depends on 2 major major factors: she's black (and her personalities are consumed with racial concepts), and she has no legs. If you change either one of those, you may have a good character; possibly even an interesting character--but you don't have the character of the Dark Tower saga. And a black Roland might be interesting to watch. But he'd just be some dude. NOT the Roland I've come to know and love. This would be a deal-breaker for me. I could never accept that the world King created is consistent with a black Roland.

I just don't see any of that as a difference in his character as much as a difference in how he was initially described. There is zero reason the world can't be more diverse than originally described and there is no reason that the line of Eld has to be white other than how it was originally described. On the flip side having Eddie be a person of color as you describe would fundamentally change his relationship with Susannah which I think is really framed around them being a mixed couple and her having old school ideals.

[PandaB71]

I am all for diversity, It's awesome to see... but sometimes it just doesn't fit in places... When reading the series you develop a mental picture of the characters. I am pretty sure that 95% of those who read it would never have pictured a black man. Maybe someone of Arabian looking decent but, I could be wrong. And I have no problem if I am.

[Ben Staad]

Will he have blue eyes?

[fernandito]

...What part of Roland's character would change in a fundamental way by being a different color?

To your point, it really wouldn't. My disapproval stems from the fact that we would be deprived of some of the smaller, poignant details which are only possible because of Roland's features as they exist in the novels; Eddie's bewilderment over Roland's almost spectral paleness in DTII, Roland's trademark piercing blue stare, Susan Delgado running her hands through Roland's straight "jet black hair".

[mattgreenbean]

This would be stupid. It's as much of a change from the book as if they wanted to have Roland played by a woman. It's not about who does the acting, it's that for everyone who has ever spent the long F'ing journey with Roland deserves the respect of Hollywood to get to continue the journey with the same Roland that they've come this far with. Change every other character to represent Josephs color coat, but keep Roland looking like Roland. We've had a bunch of great actors tossed in the hat, how did Idris get tossed in?

I'm just shocked

Who would play young Roland? Assuming that they get that far in the series.

[WeDealInLead]

Elba got "tossed in" because Hollywood investors and money makers have a pretty simple endgame: $$$. Elba is a hot commodity right now and people will go see whatever he's in. They'd be foolish not to use someone guaranteed to draw the crowds. All of us here can romanticize DT and dissect and discuss every minor detail of the books, but the movie would bomb if only DT fans and constant readers were the target audience.

We don't really know if the adaptation would even cover any of the Mid-World history, the line of Eld etc. so Elba's race might not even matter. I DO feel he's 100% not fit to play Roland though.

[webstar1000]

He isn't that hot of a commodity.... the ONLY reason his name has been in the news so much at all really is Bond. Yeah he did a good job as Gandhi and is ok in that movie Beasts of no nation but he is not a big box office draw at all. He probably is a well known enough actor for the money and has never had a franchise.. that be my guess. I think it is a HORRIBLE idea and will not work.

[Lookwhoitis]

concur

[Bev Vincent]

King tweets: To me, the color of the gunslinger doesn't matter. What I care about is how fast he can draw...and that he takes care of the ka-tet.

[Br!an]

The Dark Tower is influenced by Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came which was influenced by The Song of Roland in which Charlemagne is fighting the Saracens.

Roland can't logically be a black guy.

[Johnny Alien]

I hate to defend the idea this much because it sounds like I think it's a great idea when I don't BUT

the whole logically thing is just ridiculous...he is a fiction character from a made up family line in a made up world...there is nothing concrete to say that logically he would be any color. Yes, Roland is white. King is not in any way shape or form vague about that. But the story could easily be adjusted without any major plot issues

[Br!an]

They can change the story all they want. Artistic license and all that.

The problem being that it would then become a different story then the one King has been telling for thirty years. A loosely based adaptation isn't the same thing.

[Johnny Alien]

I think that is the point where my opinion differs from others. I don't think that him being different looking than what was described makes any difference to the overall story. Having the line of eld contain people of color does not change the history of Mid-World other than that's not how it was described in the book. If they did another movie of the Shining and everything was line for line from the book except the hotel was a modern day Sheraton would that make the story fundamentally different? Did having Red black (even though he was described as a white Irish person in the book) change Shawshank in any way? There are 3 points in the books that would really change.

1. People in mid-world sometimes comment about not seeing dark skinned people when they see Susannah <-- Not a big deal in my opinion as they were throwaway lines
2. Roland would no longer look like King in the keystone world <-- Even if they kept the King story they would not cast an actor that looked like him. This is scrapped either way.
3. Detta Walker says all sorts of racists slurs to Roland and Eddie <-- This is probably the only thing I think is affected in a big way but as along as Eddie is white I think that they can keep everything.

So in the end it's really just artistic license with the description of the character and won't require major story changing. That is why i don't really care although I would not prefer him to be played by this guy.

[CyberGhostface]

King tweets: To me, the color of the gunslinger doesn't matter. What I care about is how fast he can draw...and that he takes care of the ka-tet.

I'll believe him but at the same time if he had said anything but that social media would have swarmed on him like a pack of vultures. Not the same thing but I remember the flack he got when he made the comment about Mia Farrow and Woody Allen and how he ended up apologizing later.

[Cook]

Elba's look is believable as Roland to me.
I think its interesting how people conjure images in the mind.
Most of white america still choose to believe Jesus is a blond hair blue eyed look'in kind of guy.

[Br!an]

Most of white america still choose to believe Jesus is a blond hair blue eyed look'in kind of guy.

Interesting analogy comparing two fictional characters.

Jesus was a Middle Eastern Semite. He was marketed to the west as a Caucasian and is now portrayed primarily as a white man.

Roland was a blue eyed white man and could possibly be portrayed by a black man. If that happens I wonder how many people in the future will erroneously think that the original character was a black man.

Hell in a few hundred years perhaps people will worship him.