Christian Bale Once Rumored To Be Frontrunner; Jennifer Carpenter Short Listed
Updated: Hmm, while the New York Post has really done their best to “own” this story, Deadline potentially has thrown a monkeywrench in their plans and says Javier Bardem has been officially offered this part. Then again, that may not mean much. Bardem has been offered lots of roles lately like “Clash Of The Titans 2” and “Cogan’s Trade,” and the man just had a baby, and as a serious actor, we don’t see him jumping into a silly tentpole anytime soon.
Yep, it’s more frontrunner and casting rumors for Ron Howard‘s mega-blockbuster “The Dark Tower” and with the release date not arriving until 2013, we expect speculation to run rampant for a little while.
The NYPost, who seem to be leading the way on the rumblings of potential casting and are determined to own this story, are now reporting that Bruce Wayne himself, Christian Bale, has usurped Viggo Mortensen and Javier Bardem as the frontrunner for the central role, Roland Deschain, in the film. Not only that, Jennifer Carpenter (“Dexter,” “Quarantine“) is said to be shortlisted for the role of Sussanah Dean along with Moraccan actress Ghita Tazi. We presume they join the previously rumored Naomie Harris on a list for the part.
The project will take Stephen King‘s mammoth seven-book fantasy opus “The Dark Tower” and stretch it across three big-screen features, broken up by two TV series which will all feature the same cast. It’s certainly ambitious, but with Akiva Goldsman writing the screenplay for the first film and television series, we’re keeping any expectations we have in check. Oh sure, Goldsman can perform decently when given straighforward material (“Cinderella Man,” “A Beautiful Mind“) but anything dealing remotely with fantasy elements seems to bring out the worst ideas and instincts from the writer.
Anyway, all of this seems very early and very thin at this point. We’d wager all these names are on a list somewhere and that with plenty of money at stake, Universal is going to be speaking to a lot of people before determining who will carry this hugely important and expensive franchise for what will be a multiple year commitment. So yeah, more names will likely be named in the months leading up to any official announcement. The first part of the “The Dark Tower” will hit May 17, 2013. And oh yeah, if you have no idea who Ghita Tazi is (like us) check out her showreel below.
Susannah Dean was a black woman… WTF?? Casting a white actress seems to deny some very basic character traits and events within King\’s books.
Jennifer Carpenter can\’t act (her one-note Dexter character isn\’t the best performed cable show character to say the least).
I don\’t hold a lot of hope for this one… Ron Howard may be prolific and a genre-jumper, but most of what he directs is rather pedestrian, mainstream stuff… and he never really lends anything additional to it. Goldman…? The less said, the better… one of the worst hacks in the biz.
Nope, no hope for this project.
Deadline wrote they officially offered the role to Bardem
Is it really that difficult for Hollywood to cast a black actress for a black role?
Um…Ron? In the books, Susannah Dean is black. It\’s uh…kinda important.
And Bale as Roland? I don\’t see it. Where\’s Jack Palance when you need him….?
Bale in Roland yet was a rumor 2 years ago when JJ Abrams wanted to direct the trilogy and Carpenter in black woman\’s idea is so ….idiot
i hate the hell out of akiva goldsman as well, but he has actually handled the fantasy side of his work on \”Fringe\” fairly well. i\’m not saying that should help your worries, but he may have gotten slightly better since batman and robin. i pains me to say it though.
WHy would any of them (Viggo, Javier, Bale) want to sign up for such a time suck? I didn\’t figure VM and JB would be interested at all, and maybe I was right. I\’m not sure about Bale.
Jennifer Carpenter has enough trouble convincingly playing a white woman on Dexter. I\’m not sure she has the range to pull off a black character.
Ron Howard shortlisting Jennifer Carpenter to play an African American woman just goes to show how wrong he is for this film. Has he even read the books?