Matthew McConaughey sees his villainous character as 'a man who exposes hypocrisies,' and director Nikolaj Arcel confirms the movie won't feature two major characters in the book, Eddie and Susannah.
- Jul 15, 2016
AceShowbiz - The first official pictures of "The Dark Tower" have been released following some leaked set photos. They include a glimpse of Matthew McConaughey's Walter Padick a.k.a. the Man in Black who is walking around The Dixie Pig, the seedy hangout of sinister forces like Low Men and Taheen, a look at Idris Elba's gunslinger Roland Deschain, and a behind-the-scenes shot with director Nikolaj Arcel and star Elba during a break of the filming.
The two main actors also cover the latest issue of EW magazine. Speaking to the publication, McConaughey shares how he perceives his villainous character. "They wanted to go very human and grounded with this," he says, "Obviously there are mythical proportions of good and evil in Walter. But we didn't want to go overly fantastic. That would drop the humanity. So Walter, for me, is a man who exposes hypocrisies."
Your exclusive first look at @McConaughey & @idriselba in the EPIC #DarkTowerMovie is here! https://t.co/3ik3i3EeVW pic.twitter.com/fcgCMdQ98b
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) July 14, 2016
While Roland loathes Walter for the loss of everything he has ever known or cared about, McConaughey says his character doesn't return the hard feelings. "I revere him," he says, adding, "He's really the only true adversary I have. I expose hypocrisies, and he's the closest to pure there is. It's his persistent, resilience to be good and altruistic. He's very precious to me. I almost don't want to see him go."
McConaughey says Walter's mission is to bring down the Tower. "All the gaps between the worlds are filled with blackness and evil," the actor says of what happens if it falls. "Once I bring the Tower down, and take a seat next to the Crimson King, I've got my own plans from there as well."
.@IdrisElba is breathing fire into @StephenKing's Gunslinger in #DarkTowerMovie: https://t.co/3hX3nq4LVB � pic.twitter.com/I27TACqUjO
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) July 14, 2016
While seeking revenge, Roland is haunted by visions of a tower that is surrounded by a field of dusky pink roses but he doesn't fully understand what it means. "When we meet Roland he's a bit lost," Elba says, "He's been walking around for a long time, so he definitely feels like a man who's... coiled." He also forgets that deep down "he's a protector."
Here's what the #TheDarkTower film changes (and keeps) from @StephenKing's books: https://t.co/qaisf4mxz9 �� pic.twitter.com/KywVWsAKet
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) July 14, 2016
Arcel, meanwhile, confirms that the movie is not so much an adaptation of the books as a continuation. "The hardcore fans of 'The Dark Tower' series will know that this is actually a sequel to the books in a way. It has a lot of the same elements, a lot of the same characters, but it is a different journey," he says.
On how much it is different from the books, he reveals the movie won't feature two major characters, the reformed heroin junkie Eddie and the amputee with multiple personalities Susannah, who join Roland's quest. However, they could appear should the movie get a sequel.
Also starring Jackie Earle Haley as the fearsome vampire leader Richard Sayre, "The Dark Tower" is set for a February 17, 2017 release in the United States.
