Idris Elba as The Gunslinger in Stephen King’s The Dark Tower: First pictures
BOND favourite Idris Elba has been photographed on set as The Gunslinger, in the movie adaption of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower.
Idris Elba has been cast as The Gunslinger in The Dark Tower Movie
Tom Hiddleston may be the 007 front runner after betting was suspended, but Elba has been keeping himself busy with other projects.
Fans of the star will be ecstatic to catch the first glimpse of him in Western gear for this fantastical adventure, caught on camera in Cape Town.
Elba is dressed in a collarless white shirt, with waistcoat on and bandana round his neck, along with black jeans, boots and gun in holster - he looks every bit the part of the antihero.
Even with his awesome swagger, it’s clear that the 43-year-old couldn’t resist hanging on to his phone between takes, despite the period setting.
"The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed..." #TheDarkTower #TheGunslinger #IdrisElba pic.twitter.com/QfNyGmbB7Z
— Jt Barnett (@jtbarnett45) May 18, 2016
Idris Elba Dressed as Gunslinger Character In New Movie ‘The Dark Tower’ https://t.co/uApH1B0BHC pic.twitter.com/5U5Osnnie2
— Daddy Long Legs (@blahstah) May 17, 2016
Another picture shows Elba standing on a concrete balcony by some factory machinery with green screen behind him.
Here he’s wearing a classic knee length leather cowboy coat, perfect for his character’s post-apocalyptic adventuring.
Elba’s casting came as a controversial choice, as The Gunslinger is traditionally seen as white, some the actor faced over his consideration for James Bond too.
In the books there is considerable racial tension between the gunslinger and another character, a black amputee called Susannah, so it’ll be interesting to see how the filmmakers handle that arc.
Elba was cast through colour-blind casting
Elba was cast as The Gunslinger back in March when Stephen King made the announcement on Twitter.
The author, himself, couldn't contain his joy that his beloved project was finally making it into cinemas after over 40 years.
King said in a recent interview: "The thing is, it’s been a long trip from the books to the film.
EEEEEEEE! @idriselba as the Gunslinger #darktower https://t.co/t3XUXbd8uQ pic.twitter.com/vaO5lZPwcv
— Norma Jones (@normajones) May 17, 2016
https://t.co/YKbIxE0cCo https://t.co/VrxsEGNlrK #DT pic.twitter.com/SWEOFbArfU
— Delirium Comics (@Delirium_Comics) May 17, 2016
“When you think about it, I started these stories as a senior in college, sitting in a little sh**ty cabin beside the river in Maine, and finally this thing is actually in pre-production now. He
“I’m delighted, and I’m a little bit surprised.”
The 71-year-old will share writing-duties with the film's director, Nikolaj Arcel.
Idris Elba talks Bastille Day
McConaughey has been cast as the Man in Black, the story's villain
Elba will be joined by Matthew McConaughey who is playing the villain known as the Man in Black, a character who appears across King’s work.
The film is based on The Dark Tower book series which sees Roland Deschain, the last gunslinger of Mid-World, played by Elba, travel across this post-apocalyptic landscape.
His mission is to find a magical edifice known as The Dark Tower which is supposedly the central point of the space-time continuum. Someone or something is using evil technology to destroy it.
The Dark Tower will be released in UK cinemas in January 2017.