‘The Dark Tower”: Why Star Chose King Project Over ‘Guardians’ Vol. 2
By Joey Click
With ‘The Dark Tower’ set for this summer, Matthew McConaughey explains why he passed on ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ for the beloved King tale.
Gonna have to pass of that Marvel film…Alright alright alright – M
According to Collider, Hollywood star Matthew McConaughey passed on James Gunn’s hotly anticipated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 for a role in The Dark Tower, an upcoming film adaptation of Stephen King’s most revered work. Now the actor has come out with why he chose one project over the other.
Here’s what Matthew McConaughey, who’s playing The Man in Black in The Dark Tower, says about the decision in an interview with Playboy:
"“I like Guardians of the Galaxy, but what I saw was ‘It’s successful, and now we’ve got room to make a colorful part for another big-name actor.’ I’d feel like an amendment. The Dark Tower script was well written, I like the director [Nikolaj Arcel] and his take on it, and I can be the creator, the author of the Man in Black—a.k.a. the Devil—in my version of this Stephen King novel. We’ve done the first one."
The 47 year-old veteran of the silver screen goes on to add:
"“It’s a fantastic thriller that takes place in another realm, an alternate universe, but it’s very much grounded. For instance, the gunslinger’s weapon isn’t a lightsaber or something; it’s a pistol. I enjoyed approaching my character as if I were the Devil having a good time, getting turned on by exposing human hypocrisies wherever he finds them.”"
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Matthew McConaughey, who turned down the opportunity to play Star Lord’s Dad in Guardians 2, seems happy with his choice. When you’re as big a star as the actor is, turning down high profile roles is a way of life. While I’m looking forward to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 more than The Dark Tower, not in as stoked as ever for M’s work in the upcoming King tale.
As for The Dark Tower itself, the film has about as storied a history as movie projects get. After being stuck in development hell for years, Stephen King’s most beloved tale is almost finally here. We may be slinging bullets like The Gunslinger, but we’re not slinging lies. It’s almost here people! Are you excited for The Dark Tower?
The Dark Tower stars Katheryn Winnick, Matthew McConaughey, and Idris Elba. Nikolaj Arcel is directing from a script by Arcel and Akiva Goldsman, Anders Thomas Jensen, and Jeff Pinkner. Sony Pictures Entertainment is handling production, with distribution by Sony subsidiary, Columbia Pictures.
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Stephen King’s The Dark Tower opens everywhere July 28th, 2017.