On May 17, 2013, fans of The Dark Tower will finally get what they've been waiting years to see: a feature film. First announced back in April, the project is being planned as a trilogy with a television series that will tie the movies to one another. Ron Howard is already set to direct both the first film and the season of the television series, but the question that's on everybody's mind is who they will get to play the central protagonist, Roland Deschain. Well, Howard has a few names for you to chew on.
Speaking with The Los Angeles Times about the project, Howard wasn't shy when it came to the topic of casting. According to the article, Howard "nodded" when names like Daniel Craig, Hugh Jackman and Jon Hamm came up in conversation. As to who the director likes, Howard mentioned that Viggo Mortensen, already beloved by fantasy fans for his portrayal of Aragorn The Lord of the Rings movies, is the number one choice amongst fansites. He didn't, however, seem to commit to any of them.
In reality, amongst those names only Mortensen really works. The Dark Tower, as they are approaching it, promises to be a massive scale production that will eat up years of the lead actor's career. With MGM back in action and very real possibility that The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo will spawn sequels, Craig's dance card is filled with portrayals of James Bond and Mikael Blomkvist. While Darren Aronofsky has called The Wolverine a "one off," it likely won't be the last time that Jackman grows out his sideburns. As for Hamm, the idea of doing a movie whilst also being on a television show is hard enough, but to be the lead in a trilogy and the star of an adjacent television program? That's just impossible for the Mad Men star. I'm sure there are other names out there, but let's just leave it at this: if the fans want Viggo, go and get Viggo.
