One of the most prized properties stuck in development limbo over the years has been Stephen King’s magnum opus, The Dark Tower. The seven book series began when King was still a college kid, only to be completed in 2004. However, there have been some promising steps over the past couple of years, primarily with Ron Howard snatching up the property and vowing to get it on the screen. Recently, Aaron Paul let slip that he’s had meetings about playing the role of Eddie Dean. So that got us thinking, who would be the perfect actor to take on the iconic central role of Roland Deschain, the Gunslinger himself?
10. Thomas Jane
One of the best things Tom Jane has going for him when it comes to science fiction, comic book, and fantasy films is a pretty substantial amount of nerd credibility. He hasn’t really made any good movies in those genres, of course, but he’s a proud fanboy who just happens to have leading man looks. Of course while he’s a good actor, we’re not sure he’s got quite the gravitas to pull off the character of Roland. Still, he’d be an interesting, and very much acceptable choice.
It helps that he’s got experience in the world of Stephen King, too. He’s starred in two King adaptations, with the god awful Dreamcatcher being the first, and the very much underappreciated The Mist being the second. While Dreamcatcher was a disaster, he was pretty outstanding in The Mist, which turned out to be one of the best King adaptations ever put on screen. As far as his straight up horror stuff goes, it might be the best, since obviously Stand By Me and Shawshank Redemption don’t fall into that genre. He’s clearly a fan of King’s work, and would no doubt jump at the chance to play Roland for seven or more films.
9. Russell Crowe
Along with another guy we’ll get to a little later on the list, Russell Crowe is someone who has actually been rumored to be attached, or at least in talks, to play Roland in the past. Nothing has ever come of it, but between his strong working relationship with Ron Howard (they did A Beautiful Mind and Cinderella Man together) and the actor’s ability to play a quiet, strong, slightly menacing badass, he seems like a pretty solid choice for Roland.
To a degree, Roland has some similarities with Maximus in that he has a very specific goal, he’s extremely driven toward reaching it, and he isn’t going to let anything stand in his way. Combine that kind of performance with the gunslinger role he played in the remake of 3:10 to Yuma, and it’s easy to see him holstering up and setting out in search of the Dark Tower. Heck, he played an actual gunslinger in The Quick and the Dead. He’s an actor who, when he comes face to face with the Crimson King, you could legitimately see emerging victorious. If we had to place bets right now, Crowe would probably be the favorite to wind up in the role. But we still think there are better choices.
8. Clint Eastwood
If these films were being made 30 years ago, or even 20 years ago, the clear choice to play Roland Deschain would be Clint Eastwood. Hell, the character is inspired primarily on Clint’s “Man with No Name” character from his trilogy with Sergio Leone. It’s kind of like how Marvel changed Nick Fury to a guy inspired by Sam Jackson – how could they then not cast Sam Jackson to play him? Sadly, the most perfect actor to ever play Roland is probably just too old at this point.
Clint is still a capable actor, to be sure, and his growling voice and ice cold glare, as exhibited in Gran Torino, could certainly still work for the role of the Gunslinger. After all, Roland’s age is never really mentioned, and based on the way the series ends, it is very much up for debate exactly how old he is. It would be a pretty substantial gamble to go with Clint at this point, especially since, and we hate to say it, a seven part series is a pretty tall order for a guy as old as Clint. There’s no guarantee he’d make it all the way through all seven (or more) films, as morbid as it is to say.
7. Hugh Jackman
A couple of the qualities that could keep Hugh Jackman from being a truly great Roland are the fact that he’s known as one of the most affable people working in Hollywood, and he’s a little too handsome to play Roland. Roland is worn down, weary, and just generally has been run ragged by life, but while Jackman is a little too pretty at first glimpse he can certainly play that sort of role. One has to look no further than his Oscar nominated performance in Les Miserables.
Stop laughing! As Jean Valjean, Jackman showed more range than he’s been able to over the years in which he’s become primarily known to audiences as Wolverine. He showed he can play a man who has been worn down by the rigors of life and is trying to do the right thing, which is a big part of Roland Deschain. Roland has a certain nobility and charm, and Jackman could absolutely bring that to the table if he found himself playing the role. Of course he also recently said he may be done with one big franchise after the next X-Men movie, so would he really want to dive right into another, more ambitious project?
6. Daniel Craig
One of the things that Daniel Craig has going for him when it comes to playing Roland Deschain is, in addition to being able to look haggard and beaten down by the world, he’s got eyes that are spot on for the Gunslinger. Like Roland, Craig’s pale eyes tell a deeper story than dialogue alone could convey. Plus, he’s just physically similar to Roland as long as he doesn’t get too bulked up like he is for the Bond films.
Of course the Bond films may wind up being a big part of the reason as to why he would turn down the role. He’s already been a part of one big franchise and may not want to jump into another right off the bat. Additionally, he’s tried out the science fiction meets fantasy meets western movie before and it hasn’t worked out too well for him. Cowboys & Aliens was such a disaster that it may have left him with an epic distaste for the genre in general, and may put him off the idea of getting into even weirder territory with King’s series of novels.
5. Josh Brolin
Who would have ever thought that back when The Goonies came out, we’d be hoping that a guy like Josh Brolin would be someone we’d love to see carry an entire big budget, sweeping, huge scale franchise like The Dark Tower? Like Craig however, it would be easy to understand if Brolin has soured on different kinds of westerns, since his film Jonah Hex was as big a bomb as Cowboys & Aliens. Still, he’s become one heck of an actor over the years, and he has the kind of stoic ferocity that’s needed for Roland Deschain.
One of the good things about Brolin is that he’s clearly not afraid of jumping at iconic characters or franchise films, since he was very much in consideration for the role of Batman when it went to Ben Affleck instead. Having an actor who is as well respected as Brolin, who did outstanding work in movies like No Country for Old Men and Milk, be willing to strap the successes or failures of one of the most heavily anticipated book adaptations in a long, long time is certainly something worth taking into account, if in fact he ever sat down, read the part, and decided to go for it.
4. Kurt Russell
One of the more out there choices on this list, Kurt Russell certainly doesn’t lack for badass or nerd credentials, and if you’re looking for a more aged version of Roland you would be hard-pressed to find a better choice. Russell still has his classic, All-American good looks but is showing his years these days, which helps with the character of Roland Deschain. On top of simply looking the part, think about a character like Snake Plissken and you’ll know at once that Russell could be one hell of a Gunslinger. Plus, he proved with Tombstone he fits right into the Western genre when given the chance.
One of the benefits for pursuing Kurt Russell for the role of Roland is also the simple fact that he’s been kind of hanging around the fringe of Hollywood for so long at this point that he may be ready to dive back into a big project, particularly since, like himself, director Ron Howard is a former child star who came up in the same era. Remember, Russell was a Disney kid who was starting to gain fame right around the same time as Howard, so it could be easy to see the duo forming a close on-set bond with Opie directing Russell as Roland. Either way, if Russell would be willing to get on board you have to think the casting agents would at least have to consider the tremendous potential of slapping Roland’s cowboy hat on ol’ Jack Burton and letting him kick ass all the way to the Dark Tower.
3. Javier Bardem
The one guy who has actually been attached to play the role of Roland Deschain, Javier Bardem has to be one of the top contenders on this list. He’s probably a little more non-traditional for the role than many would think of for a badass American cowboy, specifically because he’s not American and sometimes has a little trouble hiding his accent, but his acting prowess is certainly bordering on legendary at this stage of his career.
The man has multiple Oscar nominations to his name, and no one could question his ability to play a hard, violent man with a singular objective after watching him in No Country for Old Men. And, at the end of the day, that’s exactly what Roland is, even if the motivations behind the two characters are vastly different. Bardem has already signed on and then left the project, however, so as much as we think he would be a very solid Roland it’s just not going to happen at this point. Maybe they could snag his American doppelganger, Jeffrey Dean Morgan?
2. Daniel Day-Lewis
Now this is just a kind of wishful thinking pick, because it’s no secret that Daniel Day-Lewis makes very few movies, and is extremely selective about what and when he films. It’s almost impossible to imagine he would ever get anywhere near a sequel, let alone an entire, epic series. So it’s not going to happen. We simply have to face facts about that. And even if he did sign on, he’d probably get so method that he’d start talking in the somewhat annoying Dark Tower language that King created for the next decade, and then everyone would just hate the dude. But still…
There may not be a better actor in the world today than Daniel Day-Lewis. He can play any sort of role, and he certainly has the gravitas and nobility to portray Roland Deschain, and has proven himself adept at playing badass action characters with movies like Last of the Mohicans. It’s easy to imagine him as the weary old cowboy, diligent in his pursuit of the man who fled across the desert, leading him ever onward toward the Dark Tower. Day-Lewis would lend instant credibility to the franchise, and he would absolutely kill it in the role. Which makes it a shame he would never go anywhere near it. That’s okay, though, because the most perfect Roland Deschain is…
1. Viggo Mortensen
Be honest. If you started reading The Dark Tower series in the early 2000’s, you probably envisioned Viggo Mortensen as Roland from the get go. To a lot of us, there simply is no other option. Viggo Mortensen simply is Roland Deschain. Around the time King was finishing up the series, Mortensen was starring in the most epic fantasy trilogy of all-time while also starring as a beleaguered cowboy in the movie Hidalgo. Once you take Aragorn and merge him with the look Viggo was sporting in Hidalgo, it’s hard to shake the image of him as Roland from your mind.
Of course one of the problems with Mortensen is that he may shy away from yet another epic fantasy series, particularly one that will in all likelihood be more time consuming and grueling than what he experienced making The Lord of the Rings. Still, it’s hard to deny he’d be a phenomenal choice. He’s continued to play characters similar to Roland over the years, most notably in the movie The Road. His character, and the relationship he shares with the boy in that film, fits perfectly with what King did with Roland and the young character of Jake in the Dark Tower series. At the end of the day, if we had the power to cast anyone in the role of Roland, it would be Viggo Mortensen all day, every day.
60 Comments
Jim Caviezel!! Yes, the Christ dude.
Can’t believe I’m the only one suggesting this…
michael fassbender – roland
javier bardem – marten
yaya dacosta- susannah (
ezra miller -eddie dean (ruthless intelligence and charismatic enough to pull off)
I’m with you for Jim Caviezel!!! Mind you Josh Brolin and Kurt Russell look pretty good. Maybe Taraji P. Henson (also of Person of Interest) for Susannah. Josh Halloway or Ian Somerhalder for Eddie Dean?
Nathan Fillion should be on this list.
No! Way too cuddly and goofy
Click Eastwood would be good
Absolutely. 40 years ago, completely perfect. I think I kind of imagine a dark haired version of Eastwood when I read the books, maybe a bit taller
Clint Eastwood was Stephen Kings inspiration for the character. But age killed it. Now we have Scott Eastwood to fill those shoes. Timothy Olyphant would be awesome too. He has got to Eastwoodesque. Bardeem would not sell me a ticket it’s a high plains drifter kind of role.
I totally agree, and thought this way back. He should also have been cast to play Jack Reacher….
How did Lincoln from the walking dead not make this list. He his the number one choice behind time travel and Clint Eastwood in my opinion
Andrew Lincoln is a great choice.
the best choice
I thought JDM would make an epic Roland, too!
Just like Roland, he looks intimidating until he smiles…
Also, in The Losers, he starred alongside Chris Evans and Zoe Saldana, and it made me think of Roland, Eddie and Susannah. Chris Evans even does a pretty good Clint Eastwood impression at one point, something Eddie might use to lovingly mock Roland with…..
Viggo, hands down, no other choice! If he doesn’t get the role I’ll flip. Keith Behlmer, you need to read this!! And when you get to #1 I get to say I told you so!!
Viggo is the one !!! He is a very good adaptable actor…..
Hmmm interesting. I like Daniel Day Lewis as well. Guy would be a very good Roland.
Yeah he would be very good too, I do not think they should have Daniel Craig in there. He is a VERY good actor but he doesn’t remind me of Roland
He’s British. Can’t do it
True, just like Javier Bardem cant
The rock
That is the best series of books ever!! And I’ll fight anyone to the death that disagree with me
I’ll help you! I’d like Jackman for the part of roland, maybe viggo. NOT RUSSEL CROWE! defo.. and plz no dirty Harry, would be just… wrong
Chris Windnagel, you would love this as well my fellow dark tower fanatic lol I have been saying that #1 would be the best Roland for years now
If I could have my wish, it would be Peter Fonda from 20 yrs ago. Regardless, Roland MUST HAVE the blue bullshooters eyes.
Hey, I just remembered…There was this one guy in Machete….I think it was the guy who was playing Lohan’s father, but I’m too lazy to go check…Anyway, I remember he was ruggedly handsome, somewhat grizzled but regal, and had just THE BLUEST EYES. I thought he might have
made a fairly good Roland just based on his looks…and it seems like I recall reading somewhere that he was in the mini-series, Under the Dome.. I may be wrong, though. About everything.
I agree with the Jim Caviezel comment …. He should definitely be on the list! He would be perfect.
Got to be Clint Eastwood. The role was written for Clint. No one else can play Roland. I believe the older Clint gets, the better he is for the role. I mean, have any of you read it. If so, you’d agree ! Got to be Clint for me to be satisfied!
I think Scott Eastwood could be a serious contender for Roland.. He has enough of his Dad in him he could be perfect….
Absolutely!
I hadn’t thought of Caviezel…also good.
Fren is thinking of Jeff Fahey, who also played the titular Lawnmower Man.
Michael Fassbender could work some magic on Roland.
I totally agree with you. From the first line to the last line my mind had Clint as Roland.
Daniel Day Lewis would be the only secondary actor to Clint!
I definitely vote for Viggo Mortensen. He is right for this role, I can not imagine another actor … Viggo’s the real Roland Deschain
What about Sam Elliott?
No way could Eastwood commit to such a long project. He’s in his late eighties and this would be, at bare minimum, a 5+ year commitment. I don’t wish to tempt fate here, but he would be a huge risk for such a large project. Viggo is Roland for millennials. Sorry, but it’s true. If you read the first three books before 1990, he makes zero sense against the description of Roland. I’ve been saying this role needs to be Jim Caviezel’s since before the series was even finished. Ideally, I wanted him for Jack Sawyer if they ever made Black House into a film, but now that he’s closing in on 50, he looks the part, has the eyes, and anyone who has seen Person of Interest and read the books can see parallels between the two characters.
I think Toby Stephens would be perfect as Roland.
I have said for YEARS that Josh Brolin IS Roland!!! However, Jim Caviezel would be a mighty fine choice also. If they would have started this project 10-15 years ago then Clint Eastwood would have been the ONLY contender for Roland but I’m afraid his time is past for this particular role (too bad!!) He would have been so awesome!!!
Timothy Olyphant–Raylan from Justified…Thin, weary hates to draw the gun, but has to very often…
Daniel Day Lewis! He is an incredible actor; is the same height as Roland (6’2″); has the ability to look younger or older as needed during filming; using ‘Lincoln’ as an example, he can drop/gain weight to look like he is wasted from walking across a desert, or having spent a week in Tull resting and eating. There is NO better choice to play Roland!
I’m curious about who would play the farmer who has Zoltan, or better yet, Allie/ Any suggestions for those characters?
Daniel Day Lewis could do it, no doubt. Maybe a bit old, but a truly awesome actor. He would have made a better Aragorn than Viggo Mortenson too.
Timothy Olyphant should be at the top of this list!
Roland = Josh Brolin (Scott Eastwood if he can act)
Eddie = Miles Teller
Susannah = Zoe Saldana (Yaya DeCosta would be great as well)
Marten = Javier Bardem (So much better as a villain)
Jake would have to be cast at the end by some young super kid actor
The guy from Hell on Wheels, would be the perfect fit for Roland! No contest!
I agree that the role was written with Clint in mind. I also agree that he is far too old to take on the role that would need doing for the next 10 years (or beyond). I’m not saying he couldn’t do it, I’m saying why would he want to? Dude’s old, let him retire! What I often thought would be a great homage to the relation between Clint and Roland would be to have the very first scene of the first movie be an old Gunslinger (Eastwood) sitting at a campfire or in a saloon or something, and he begins to tell a story. He talks about how the world has moved on and how there aren’t heroes anymore, not like there used to be. He takes a shot of whiskey and says, “But I’ll tell you about the last hero this world knew. It begins like all tragic tales, with a journey. (fade to black) The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.”
Now, at times I think this is a little too trite for modern Hollywood, and at times I think the Storyteller could be either King himself in cowboy getup (throwback to his old cameo days), or maybe a middle-aged black man with a bluesy accent (for those of you who maybe have read The Talisman and Black House). But I keep coming back to Clint, so that he can at least get in a little on the gig that was written for him. It would be a one-time shot, no need for further obligation.
Lucas Bryant plays serious really well. Scruff him up and he’d look great and has the acting chops to do very well for this part. Roland is a long tall SKINNY man (according to the book art), Lucas would be a very great Roland.
Theo James would do well also and is a big name.
Evan Peters (Eddie) and Francois Arnaud (The Dark Man) would be great for other parts as well.
Clint Eastwood would have been THE only Roland, 30 years ago, but I really feel that his time has passed. Roland doesn’t have the feel of an older man, but of a mid 40s man – timeless sort of, but not aged. (Sorry Clint)
Regina King or Viola Davis each would be a good pick for Susannah because Susannah is supposed to be older than Eddie.
Like everyone else, I’ve read the books multiple times, and I’m thinking about them from a mid 30s to late 40s female perspective. JMO
The actor who looks most like the artists rendering (approved by Stephen King) in looks and body-type is Lucas Bryant. He’s not well-known enough though so probably wouldn’t be cast. They need a big-name draw.
I have always seen Whoopie Goldberg as Suzanna. Amazing actress. Angels Bassett would be my second choice.
Max Charles, or Pierce Gagnon as Jake Chambers.
The Roland character has certain physical characteristics that can not be ignored. He is a skinny, not so muscular, tall man in his mid to late 40s who has experienced long stints in exposed environments his whole life (however long that’s been). He certainly can’t have perfect skin or teeth. Rather, he needs to have sun-baked tough skin and a serious grit to the character. There is only so much that make-up can do without looking contrived, and to a certain extent, we know these actors outside the world of movies and TV, so either the transformation is so complete that we hardly believe what we are looking at (Tom Cruise as Les Grossman, the first time you watched his part) or the actor has to embody the character physically at least. Most actors being mentioned are better suited to GQ magazine. Viggo Mortensen is close, but shorter than Roland is portrayed. Timothy Olyphant has been playing a similar character in Justified, though he would have to lose the southern accent. Both embody this character to some extent. And both seem to have that sly humor Stephen King gave Roland.
Andrew Lincoln would of been the perfect fit. I can’t believe he didn’t make this list.
Roland Deschain should be played by Anson Mount from “Hell On Wheels”. You can’t look at that guy and his role without seeing Roland.
Here’s a photo of him.
http://images.amcnetworks.com/amc.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/hell-on-wheels-season-5-cullen-mount-935×658.jpg
Mark Harmon!?! Yes, no? Just a thought…
They should consider Anson Mount. He would be a perfect Roland.
Mickey Rourke imho
viggo mortenson. however everyone is really a little to old.
I would love to see Anson Mount play Roland. When he came on screen in Hell on Wheels Roland of Gilead was my first thought. I think Soqena Martin-Green from TWD would make an amazing Susannah and would be able to pull off all three sides of her personality. For Eddie, I think AHS’s Evan Peters would be a good choice. He has shown what a versatile actor he is in the series and I think he would nail the multifaceted jokester.
His name is ANSON MOUNT!!! The best and most unknown actor around. He replaces all the above in my world!
Titus Welliver. Either him or Daniel Day Lewis.
Just one actor is perfect for this role… Keanu Reeves. His personal life, physical appearance, martial arts… Roland is in his eyes.
Idris Elba
and the IMDB seems to support my choice: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1648190/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_3
I, for one, will not be watching the movie. There’s just no way in hell to condense thousands of pages of literature into a single coherent film.
Michael Vartan, duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuudes!!!!!!!! Hes just like young Clint, on his fourties and skinny… He would have been perfect…
A missed chance, man…
Jeffery Dean Morgan.