Perfect Roland
The perfect actor to play Roland would be
Daniel Craig.
"I'm a war president, I make decisions with war on my mind" (George W. Bush)
But he's too young. Plus blonde. Yeah, I know you can dye the hair.
I think I got it...Ian McShane, from Deadwood. Plus, J.J. Abrams has used a lot of the cast from Deadwood for Lost, so I coud see this as a definite possibility.
Ian McShane is not a bad pick. I hadn't thought of him before.
However, I am stuck on Hugh Laurie (Dr. House). Everything that I think of when I think of the man from Gillead, Laurie has.
I think Roland needs to be American, he is the quintesential Western hero ... the essence of all Western Heroes/Gunslingers incarnate. Having a Englishman in the role just doesn't feel right! Daniel Craig/Ian McShane/Hugh Laurie ... lol, sorry, I remember McShane as the Antiques Dealer Lovejoy, and Hugh Laurie in Blackadder, just can't see them as Roland at all.
Saying that I would hope that anyone casting would avoid nasty American choices like Kevin Costner, who seems to have made a career being miscast in various roles.
That movie has warped my fragile little mind.
Someone mentioned Christian Bale on another DT board as being a possibility. I definitely could see this one - you'd just have to age him a little after the first book. But he'd be good, I feel.
Sadly, Clint Eastwood is too old now, or he'd clearly be the man. I'm pretty sure SK has said he somewhat based the character on one of Clint's previous western flick personas.
We would all agree that whomever does play him would have to do so with an American accent, right? I just never heard Roland sound anything but American accented in my mind.
It just struck me - I am, in fact American, so I obviously heard Roland with that sort of accent. And it's pretty obvious that most of our other main characters would also sound American, due to the fact that they were from the US. But I just found myself wondering if people from other parts of the world hear Roland with their own accent? Or is the whole wild-west-style setting for the first book enough to make people draw a common conclusion as to how Roland sounds? Or maybe the fact that King is American makes you draw that conclusion. Just curious, as I've never really thought about this before.
what about liam neeson... just a thought
he kicked but in taken
I would like to see Skeet Ulrich as the Gunslinger and Viggo Mortensen as the man in black
ROLAND: SKEET ULRICH
http://www.tvprogramm.sf.tv/img/pool/d/3/f/3/d3f3c469-c51f-40c6-b9b4-e a216d0ce213_detail.jpg
http://media.photobucket.com/image/skeet+ulrich+into+the+west/moshow1/ DVDCaptureITW2324.jpg?o=8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILTkJBktOps&feature=PlayList&p= C5E5739EEBA1C6BF&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX8srizk2OA&feature=PlayList&p= C5E5739EEBA1C6BF&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=15
[and it's not just cuz he looks good in the costume -- he's a brilliant, quiet, thoughtful, soulful actor to boot]
10 years ago, I never would have contemplated this, but after watching Jericho, that is all I thought about when I reread the Gunslinger. Skeet Ulrich is Roland. He is a bit young, but this can be sort of like a reboot the way they rebooted Star Trek with a younger cast?
He has the soulfulness and intensity in his eyes, the way he emotes with facial expressions to keep the viewer engaged even when there is little dialogue. The first novel, there is little dialogue and a lot of scenes with just Roland interacting with the world so a character who can communicate emotions with a glance is powerfully effective.