You might not be surprised to learn that Ron Howard and Akiva Goldsman’s ambitious plan to turn Stephen King’s multi-book (and comic book) series **The Dark Tower **into a combination of films and an accompanying TV show is attracting rather a lot of interest from acting types. Javier Bardem is currently the frontrunner,having apparently secured an offer from Howard and co. Viggo Mortensen has already been linked. And now Christian Bale has been added to the list.
Yes, despite no solid greenlight from Universal (though, even given the challenge ahead, are they really going to say no to Ron Howard?), actors are flocking into the audition line to star as Roland Deschain, the stoic yet driven gunslinger hero of the Tower series.
As for the female lead role, the NY Post's story on Bale also mentions Dexter actress Jennifer Carpenter in the running, along with current contenders, newcomer Ghita Tazi and Naomie Harris.
But the big question remains: are any of them willing to devote the time to Howard’s big plan to shoot the first film and then a season of TV shows featuring the same cast? It’s a big commitment, and unless schedules can be shuffled appropriately, it’s not immediately clear how bigger name in-demand actors could fit it all in.
Still, the lure of such a challenging, layered and complex part must be a hefty lure to performers who know how to craft characters...