A new fantasy movie starring Idris Elba can make up for The Dark Tower adaptation. Directed by Nikolaj Arcel, the 2017 movie adapted Stephen King’s Dark Tower books after the project spent numerous years stuck in development. Elba played the gunslinger Roland Deschain, who is the protagonist of the series. The Dark Tower‘s cast of characters also included Matthew McConaughey as the villainous Walter Padick and Tom Taylor as the young boy Jake Chambers.

Despite starring the likes of Elba and McConaughey, The Dark Tower was panned by both critics and general audiences with a 16% Tomatometer score and 44% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was criticized as a lackluster adaptation of King’s novels while also failing to stand on its own merits. This reception meant that The Dark Tower‘s ending did not lead to more sequels. Eight years later, Elba has now been confirmed to be in the cast of another fantasy book adaptation.

Children Of Blood & Bone Casting Idris Elba Can Make Up For The Dark Tower

He Joins A Star-Studded Cast

Idris Elba, Cynthia Erivo, and Viola Davis have been cast in the Children of Blood and Bone movie. A movie adaptation of the bestselling 2018 fantasy novel by Tomi Adeyemi has been in development for years and the rights have shifted between various studios, including Lucasfilm, before landing at Paramount. Elba has been cast to play the role of Lekan, a high priest in the novel. In addition to Elba, Erivo, and Davis, the star-studded cast includes Amandla Stenberg, Lashan Lynch, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Compared to The Dark Tower, Children of Blood and Bone has the potential to be a better movie and a more faithful adaptation of its source material. The Dark Tower did not directly adapt any of the stories from King’s books and instead incorporated and changed various elements from the series. Children of Blood and Bone can adapt the 2018 novel and provide a more streamlined and successful adaptation as Elba and the rest of the talented cast bring the story to life.

Idris Elba Was One Of The Better Parts Of 2017’s The Dark Tower Movie

He Nailed The Most Important Parts Of Roland’s Character

The Dark Tower is not one of Idris Elba’s best movies, but his performance was one of the best things about the disappointing film. Elba conveyed the stoicism, obsessiveness, and presence that was needed to play Roland well. Beyond the flashbacks that revealed what happened to Roland and his father, Elba brought a sense of history and ᴅᴇᴀᴅliness that is crucial to the character, and to the narrative of him being the last gunslinger in Mid-World.

Given how well-suited Elba was to the character, it is a shame that other aspects of the movie did not work well. If the movie had been more faithful to the books, Roland would have made an incredibly dark choice where Jake was concerned, and Elba would likely have excelled at playing that moment perfectly. Even Elba was not even enough to save The Dark Tower movie, but Children of Blood and Bone will hopefully be a much better fantasy book adaptation.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes