# Dark Tower movie: Who should play Roland? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 2, 2001, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174 "2001-11-02T18:50:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![malkavia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malkavia/32/5621_2.png) [@malkavia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malkavia)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174/1 "2001-11-02T18:50:37Z")
Okay kids… For the past few years, Mr. Malkavia and I have been building a fantasy cast just in case we ever get the money and the rights to produce a Dark Tower movie. But theres one thing we’ve always been stuck on… …Who should play Roland? (I mean, obviously Clint Eastwood 20 years back would be optimal… but if we were to cast it next year, that wouldn’t work) ---
**Author:** ![BF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5ac83/32.png) [@BF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BF)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174/2 "2001-11-02T19:11:00Z")
Sam Shepard or Sam Elliot. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174/3 "2001-11-02T19:35:24Z")
How about Russell Crowe, he looks grizzled and moody, kind of on the young side though. So who do you have laying the rest of the gang? My picks: Marten: Christopher Walken Jake: ??? Eddie: Don’t know but I think an actual minor rock star might work. Suzannah: Jada Pinkett. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174/4 "2001-11-02T19:40:14Z")
Hugh Jackman. You know, the guy who played Wolverine in **The X-Men**. He is the only non-old guy I can think of that has the strength of presence, the acting skills, and the rugged good looks to play Roland. Definitely Hugh Jackman. ---
**Author:** ![BF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5ac83/32.png) [@BF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BF)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174/5 "2001-11-02T19:46:55Z")
[hijack]Anyone read The Black House? Where’s Stephen going with the references to Parkus as a gunslinger, with mentions of Roland and the Dark Tower?[/hijack] BTW, Hugh Jackman would be an excellent choice. ---
**Author:** ![Politzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Politzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Politzania)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174/6 "2001-11-02T19:50:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Beeblebrox \* > \*\*Definitely Hugh Jackman. \*\* Ooooh! Want to go along with this one, but shouldn’t he be older? **stuffinb** : Christopher Walken for Marten… good call, tho I thought of him for Roland first … mebbe too old. \*\*malkavia[/b: Have/are you casting the whole series, or just the first novel? What do you-all think of Haley Joel Osment for Jake… too obvious? Hrm - have to think about the other characters… ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174/7 "2001-11-02T20:18:05Z")
**Stuffin** , I always saw Suzannah as more of an Angela Bassett. **BF** , Sam Shepard would work. He was one of the few I thought of for this. Sam Elliot strikes me as being too old. Bill Paxton might work. ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174/8 "2001-11-02T20:41:43Z")
I agree with Superdude on Angela Bassett. She’s old enough and has the right amount of sass. If she wasn’t Miss Touchy-Feely now, there was a time when Whoopi could’ve done it, but not now. Russell Crowe is a pretty good choice for Roland, too. He proved in “The Insider” that he can play older. What about a left-field choice like Rupert Everett? Walken might be a little _too_ creepy for Marten. How about, say, Mel Gibson? Two dream choices: Owen Wilson as Cuthbert and Brad Pitt as Alain. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174/9 "2001-11-02T20:42:59Z")
**Politzania** that was my first thought for Jake too, I had the same “too obvious” reservations. **Superdude** As gorgeous as Angela Basset is (hell she looks like the woman on the cover) I thik she’s too old for the role. I picked Jada Pinkett because of the attitude (see Set it Off) of Suzannah. Bassetts never impressed me having _attitude_ Strong, yes but not attitude. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174/10 "2001-11-02T20:50:56Z")
I always pictured Roland as Harrison Ford from the age of Indiana Jones. Though I personally think he would work now. I think Christopher Walken is the perfect choice for Marten. Although, aren’t Marten and Randall Flagg from **The Stand** the same person? King strongly implies this is so. In that case, I think the guy who played Flagg in the TV Miniseries would be a great choice for Marten. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174/11 "2001-11-02T21:13:11Z")
pldennison wrote: > [@](#): > > Two dream choices: Owen Wilson as Cuthbert and Brad Pitt as Alain. Great Choices. **pepperlandgirl** I thought that the TV guy who played Flagg was too over the top, but not creepy enough. \*\*BF \*\* Thanks I just poped over to [Stephenking.com](http://Stephenking.com) and found out it was released. I loved The Talisman, there goes my book budget. ---
**Author:** ![Bossk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@Bossk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bossk)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174/12 "2001-11-02T21:21:14Z")
C’mon, people. Think about someone you could actually get to play the role. James Remar would be perfect. He’s rough enough, he’s tough enough, and doggone it, people fear him. Check out the photo section. You’ll say, “Oh yeah, THAT guy.” [http://us.imdb.com/Name?Remar,+James](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Remar,+James) ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174/13 "2001-11-02T21:46:05Z")
Ooh, I thought of some other choices. These are even better than my first ideas: Roland–[Viggo Mortenson](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Mortensen,+Viggo). He’s playing Aragorn in _The Lord of the Rings_. He could definitely pull it off. Marten–Gary Oldman. Seriously. Think about it. Eddie–OK, now this is going to strike some people as odd, but he’s got the right combination of humor, darkness, edginess and age. Ben Stiller. Same choices for Alain and Cuthbert. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174/14 "2001-11-02T22:21:14Z")
I know it sounds strange, but the more I think about it the more I like it (this may only indicate my psychopathy though). Billy Bob Thornton as Roland. I can’t explain why I think it would work, it just feels like it would. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174/15 "2001-11-02T22:52:28Z")
> [@](#): > > Eddie–OK, now this is going to strike some people as odd, but he’s got the right combination of humor, darkness, edginess and age. Ben Stiller. That’s perfect!! As soon as I saw that I immediately remembered his role as Mr. Furious in Mystery Men. Now you can’t possibly have him playing opposite Angela Basset. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174/16 "2001-11-02T22:58:43Z")
I’d chose Willem DaFoe as Roland. I would try to avoid well known stars for the other roles. The movie would play best by talented, but unknown actors. The odds of this movie EVER being made the right way is extremely slim. The best bet, considering all the weird crap that happens, would be CGI ala _Final Fantasy_. Of course it would cost several hundred million to make and would probably never make the money back. ---
**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174/17 "2001-11-02T23:05:55Z")
How about Queen Latifah for Susannah? ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174/18 "2001-11-03T02:41:48Z")
I don’t know about the other roles, but for Eddie, I’ve always imagined Christian Slater for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![malkavia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malkavia/32/5621_2.png) [@malkavia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malkavia)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174/19 "2001-11-03T03:08:27Z")
Omg. Angela Bassett IS Suzannah. Old or not… she’s got the biceps for it, baby. =) I think James Remar would rock… if he could manage the role. Russel Crowe is my significant other’s choice. I like him muchly but he seems to babyfaced for the role. I’ll have to get the list from him and post it for you guys. Keep watching, eh? Dont you think Brad Pitt and Owen Wilson are a little old to play Alain and Cuthbert? They were like… 16 or 17. ---
**Author:** ![JCorre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3da27b/32.png) [@JCorre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JCorre)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174/20 "2001-11-03T03:26:34Z")
How about benicio del torro? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-tower-movie-who-should-play-roland/91174.md?page=2)