Come and check out your favorite nerd, live on the podcast known as Dark Tower Radio, where I palaver with a fellow nerd on King, horror, book, Dark Tower and all kinds of good stuff!
And yeah, I may sound even more nerdy live than on here…who knew???
http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/dark-tower-radio/e/48987589?autoplay=true
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/dark-tower-radio/id1173774601
Well, looky what we have here…
Seems the internet has bent a little more as of late…
And this time, neither the Kardashians nor a certain ugly dress were responsible for it!
In other words, we have further news on something that we have all been anticipating…
No, its not an official announcement that Donald Trump has chosen Sarah Palin as his running mate! I mean, if I wanted scary, I would watch a Stephen King movie…you know, scary motherfuckers like Stephen King (at least according to a certain former pimp)?
Oh wait…
I believe this news does have something to with The Master, actually…
Oh, that’s right…how could I have forgotten! Oops…
It appears that we have more news in regards The Second Coming the upcoming Dark Tower movie!
Sony Pictures has provided us with a release date. Yes, an actual release date (fingers crossed).
In other words, the beast has been reawakened. And boy, is the beast loud!
Well, maybe just a dull roar, actually. The beast was pretty loud, though, when the intent to make a movie was announced. Broke the sound barrier, actually.
So yes, people are talking. And debating. And contemplating. And rightfully so, as King considers this series of books to be his magnum opus, and so do many of his readers. People want to see a movie, and to see that movie done right. Books can be tricky to adapt to screen, and although some recent adaptations have been good (The Hunger Games is a prime example), there have been many bad on-screen adaptations (many of which are attached to The Master’s name. That one was directed at you, 2002 Carrie. And don’t think you are getting off either, Running Man!)
And yes, I will admit to being one of the speculators. And a pretty vocal one, at that. I believe that a good movie(s) can be made out of these books, and I will stand by that statement until (which hopefully does not happen) I am proven otherwise. More detail can be found on that opinion here.
But, as they say, opinions are like a certain body part none of us can function without…I believe it has to do with the gluteous maximus (I think). In other words, we all have opinions, and some of us are not shy about expressing them. I would be in that category, although social media and this blog are my preferred mediums, since none of my loved ones or the awesome man I married have the faintest idea of what I am blathering on about.
So, time to get down to business, and perhaps have a little fun! I want to talk about casting for a couple of more major characters that I did not discuss in the previous entry. The Dark Tower series also has a lot of supporting characters. Some may only be present in one book or only a few pages, but these characters are important to the story, and deserve great casting choices. And last, but certainly not least, I would like to discuss the music for The Dark Tower movie(s), as that is almost as important as the casting.
And, as always:
(Oh in case you were curious about the title…just go ahead and move that decimal one place to the right, say thank ya. See what I did there? You are very welcome!)
Casting
In this section, we will discuss the casting for the movie. I will be including several characters, both “major” and “minor.” This is almost at random, with names that I have pulled out of Roland’s cowboy hat, so please bear with me and do not take offense if I have not included a favorite character of yours…so many blog entries, so little time (or something like that).
I have already made my casting choice pretty clear for our friendly neighborhood gunslinger. And while I still have much love for Roland, Eddie Dean has always been my favorite (sorry Roland, hope you aren’t hurt by this). Eddie Dean is the book’s resident smart ass (his quips are currency, I think) but he also has a dark side, as he is a recovering heroin addict. So we need someone a bit edgy to play this character…
Aaron Paul has always been a popular casting choice, for obvious reasons (his role on the show Breaking Bad being a huge one). Plus the guy has flat out volunteered to play Eddie and has expressed an interest in being in these movies. So he is a decent choice…
However, my first pick for the role of Eddie Dean is Steven Amell. Yes, Arrow/Casey Jones as Eddie Dean. Amell is an immensely talented actor, and is about the right age for the role. And he has proven acting chops in playing a dark, gritty role, as evidenced by the title role on the show Arrow. Amell has made a beloved comic book character come to life, and I have complete faith that he could do the same with a beloved Stephen character. Oh, and he is definitely not hard to look at either!
Now, this role is an interesting one to cast. It has been played before by Jamey Sheridan Billy Ray Cyrus’ twin brother on crack in the 1994 mini series adaptation of The Stand. Matthew McConaughey has also been cast in the upcoming The Stand reboot (squee). So, pretty simple, right? Just stick McConaughey in the Dark Tower movie, and call it good?
Well, not really. While this may be the same character in The Stand, the Dark Tower series and a multitude of other King books (the very definition of an uber villain), it is NOT the same incarnation. In The Stand, Flagg is charming, a bit like a sleazy car salesman. And very…American is the best word I can think of. Matthew McConaughey can pull that off. In fact that’s what he does. So good casting choice. For The Stand, that is.
But let’s talk about Dark Tower Flagg. Dark Tower Flagg is the embodiment of an evil wizard. And he is cruel and arrogant. It seems like most people know he is evil and do their level best to avoid him. In other words, almost a polar opposite to the incarnation of Flagg in The Stand, who almost seems more “human.” As wonderful as Matthew McConaughey is, I have my doubts on whether he can pull that role off or not, so I think we need a different casting choice.
My nomination for the actor to play Randall Flagg in the Dark Tower movie is Walton Goggins. Again, this is another actor with proven acting chops for a particular role in these movies. Goggins played an excellent villain in his role as Boyd Crowder on the TV series Justified. In fact, I think I looked up arrogant in the dictionary and found a picture of Boyd Crowder! In all seriousness, Groggins is a character actor, which is exactly what is needed for the role of Randall Flagg, and I hope that the casting gods hear me, and pick well for this role.
This is an interesting role to speculate, as the Crimson King is a villain that is actually not visible very much in the books, until the final book in the series. His presence is implied and his name mentioned, but he is, for the most part, not visible, much like the great wizard behind his curtain.
However, just because something is true in the books does not necessarily mean it will be true in the movies. In other words, I think that the Crimson King will be enjoying an increased bout of visibility, and therefore a larger role. After all, film is a different medium, and sometimes adjustments need to be made in order to convey a story.
And the Crimson King is a worthy role. It is implied that he is the boss of all evil in the King universe. So therefore, we need someone distinguished to take on this role. My vote is for Donald Sutherland. You can’t get much more distinguished than Donald Sutherland. Again, more proven acting chops, especially given his role of the bearded Oompa-Loompa of President Snow in the Hunger Games movies.
Really, I thought that the Joker was bad news. And I am not backing away from that statement any time soon, either.
But then, I encountered Blaine the Mono…
Yes, a talking, evil, insane monorail has made me rethink my definition of bad news. The Joker still ranks up there (or is it down there) but a talking monorail who releases poison gas on entire cities may give the Clown Prince of Crime a run for his money…
And who better to play one of the best villains in the Stephen King universe (and possibly in literature, period) than Mark Hamill? After all, Blaine does make me think of the Joker, and Mark Hamill owned that role in the Batman animated TV series of yore (although he is reported to be reprising the role in the upcoming animated Batman movie The Killing Joke. Whoever said life is not good has obviously not heard this bit of news). Blaine will consist entirely of CGI, but the voice acting will be almost as important, if not important as, the CGI. And Mark Hamill can make Blaine happen…that’s right folks, you heard it here first!
So is is possible to write a series of books that you think is so awesome that you include yourself in them?
Well, with the Dark Tower series, the answer is yes. Stephen King is a character in the series, and an important one at that. Despite the divisiveness among fans that this move has provoked, King continues to remain a vital part of the series, and this part should not be ignored.
The easy answer would be to just have King play himself. After all, he has been known to dabble in acting, and has appeared in several of his movies, and even made a guest appearance on one of his favorite TV shows (yeah, this was a wet dream come true for me…just deal with it). However, King should not quit his day job (aka writing books I can’t put down), and leave the acting up to the big boys.
So who does that leave? Well, one of my picks would be John Cusack. Cusack already has a relationship with King, and an understanding of the material (he starred in 1408 and will star in the upcoming movie adaptation of Cell). Cusack has the ability to play a nerdy writer, which is actually what King is (don’t worry, Sai, that is a compliment of the highest order). Cusack can bring the life to this role, and would be an excellent choice.
I firmly believe that comedy is actually an essential part of horror. It appears that Stephen King would agree with me, as there is a lot of comedy gold in his books, even the Dark Tower series (yes, really!).
One of the funny parts to the Dark Tower series are the Low Men. The Low Men are actually humanoid creatures, but have animal heads. And they talk. Creepy, in other words. So maybe not actually funny, unless you have a dark sense of humor, like yours truly.
And one actor who can do the darkly comedic really well is Kim Coates, who played the character Tig on the show Sons of Anarchy. Somehow the idea of Tig er Mr. Coates donning an animal head and doing really horrible things is not as far fetched as it sounds. I believe that he would be a viable choice to play one of these characters.
Another actor who has a definite dark side is Wentworth Miller, as evidenced by his role as Leonard Snart (if that doesn’t sound evil, I don’t know what does) on the TV show The Flash. Miller has shown that he is capable of being cruel and vindictive, which is perfect for a character such as Pimli o’Prentiss. This is another “can’t miss” casting choice.
While we are on the subject of creeps, let’s talk about Rick Springfield. Yes, the guy who sang Jessie’s Girl. And the guy who sang Jessie’s Girl also happens to play an incredibly creepy psychiatrist on the TV show True Detective. This would translate very well to a character such as Richard Sayer, or Dr. Scowthers. Springfield would have these roles in the bag, in other words.
The Music
Now, I would like to talk about an aspect of the upcoming Dark Tower movies that I think is very important, but one that I have not seen get a lot of press.
That’s right, the music for the movies. While I have seen more casting threads on certain unnamed social media outlets than I care to count, I have not seen too many threads discussing any music for the movies. And this is a grave oversight, as the music is one of the most important parts to any movie, but especially so for the Dark Tower movies!
Obviously, there are references to several songs in these books. In fact, some of the music referenced in the books really gives the series its charm…
Somehow, Johnny Cash is fitting…wasn’t he nicknamed something, possibly something referencing clothing of a dark color?
All kidding aside, Johnny Cash’s version of the song Hurt would fit perfectly in the series. The song is already quoted at the beginning of the last book in the series, and attributed to its original creator. This is fine by me, I love both versions. However, Cash’s version just fits in so well with the series…perhaps it is the version of the song that belongs to Roland’s level of the Tower.
And luckily, there is a wealth of material to chose from if we want to include any other songs by Cash. Ghost Riders in the Sky would fit in very well with the theme of the Dark Tower. Out Among the Stars is another song that brings visions of Mid-World to my mind. I could go on and on, so I hope that the producers and directors choose to pay homage to this level of the Tower’s Man in Black.
As a certain great sage and eminent junkie so wisely reminded us: Johnny Cash is everything.
Paint it Black is another song referenced in the the books (in The Wastelands, to be specific). Not including it in the movies would be criminal, and I will leave it at that. And hopefully the producers and directors collectively remember the faces of their fathers, and agree with me on that statement.
Another band that I feel that fits in well with the Dark Tower series is Imagine Dragons. Many of their songs (especially this one) has a post apocalyptic feel. Roland’s world is post apocalyptic, so a marriage between Imagine Dragons and the Dark Tower series could end up being a match made in heaven (or possibly hell, depending on how you look at it).
Leonard Cohen is another one who can do darkness well (notice a theme here?). Perhaps the producers could use existing songs (Hallelujah is a song that is a pretty good description of what Roland’s obsession with the Tower has done to him), or perhaps Cohen could grace us with some new songs, just for the movies. Either way, this may be another match made in hell heaven.
One thing to keep in mind is that the members of our favorite ka-tet were drawn from different time periods. So any music used in the series should reflect this. Susannah was a sort of hippie from the 1960’s, so it would be nice to pay homage to that with some well placed Bob Dylan songs, or perhaps some Phil Ochs songs. Jake was drawn from the 1970’s, so perhaps some Rolling Stones, or maybe some soul music along the lines the lines of James Brown. And of course, there is my heartbeat Eddie Dean, who is drawn from 1987. So perhaps some well placed Aerosmith? Maybe Madonna? Run DMC anyone? Of course, music from the time period is not a necessity for these movies, but it would be nice to add a touch of authenticity, and would also allow the audience to make an emotional connection with these characters.
Well folks, that’s it for this week’s speculation and pipe dreams. For that it is exactly what this is: speculation and pipe dreams. Could some of them come true? Well, anything is possible. Could some of these ideas never see the light of day? Again, its all possible! Or could the folks behind the movie come up with some even crazier ideas that are so crazy that they just might work? Well, that wouldn’t be the first time something as happened, nor would it be the last. And of course, this blog will be your go to place for dissection and discussion (pretty please, I love readers!) But until then…
So, I have hobbies (shock…a blog? Who would have thought?)
But I also do various kinds of artwork. Surprisingly (or not), much of this artwork is fan art…
And here’s the kicker: much of this artwork is related to Stephen King and his Dark Tower series!
I know, something related to the Dark Tower on this blog? Such a shock, right?
Anyway, all kidding aside, I am trying to sell some of my work and make a little change on the side. After all, life is ruff, and dog food is not getting any cheaper…
So I have opened up an Etsy shop. And I have sold one item, which has given me the guts to try to sell more items! Who knows, it could work, right?
Here is the link to my humble little shop…stop by and check out when you have a minute. I have a few woodburning pieces up for sale now, and there will be more listings to come! A perfect gift for yourself, or the Dark Tower fanatic in your life! After all, who doesn’t want one of these creations on display in his/her home?
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Artof19
The link is listed above, so check out it when you can! Long days and pleasant nights, gunslingers!
Nerd girl power! 