We Spoke To Idris Elba About The Trailer For "The Dark Tower"

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."

The trailer for The Dark Tower is finally here and it looks amazing.

Based on Stephen King's series of novels, The Dark Tower is the story of Roland, the Gunslinger, and his epic journey to find the mysterious Dark Tower that lies at the centre of everything.

Columbia Pictures

We spoke to Idris Elba, who plays Roland, about the upcoming film.

Columbia Pictures

While the first novel is titled The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger, the film has taken a different approach, simply calling itself The Dark Tower. "It's an interpretation of Stephen King's early works," Elba told BuzzFeed.

Fans of the novels may notice a shift in storytelling, as Elba describes the story to be focused quite a lot on the character of Jake, played by Tom Taylor.

"It’s a story about a young boy who discovers parallel universes and discovers that his purpose is much bigger in these other universes. He partners with the Gunslinger and they journey towards this boy's destiny, to save the Dark Tower."

The shift should come as no surprise to some as Stephen King tweeted an image back in May, hinting that the film is set after the events within the novels.

Stephen King @StephenKing

The Dark Tower is close, now. The Crimson King awaits. Soon Roland will raise the Horn of Eld. And blow.

10:35 AM - 19 May 2016

"It’s an interpretation. The people who read the books will be satisfied that we covered what’s in them because we’ve been more artistic in that way, bringing in different elements in different stages," Elba explained.

The filmmakers aren't attempting to faithfully adapt the books to the screen, but rather continue the story of Jake, Roland, and the Dark Tower using the elements of all of King's novels.

The film also stars Matthew McConaughey as the Man in Black, a nefarious figure who is interested in Jake for his ability to "shine".

themovienetwork.com

For most of the filming McConaughey stayed in character, and he and Elba kept their distance until the time came to shoot scenes together. Elba described the moment when they faced off as, "massively impactful. He’s such a great actor and such a presence so he brought that character to life completely".

While The Dark Tower is, at its most basic level, the Gunslinger chasing the Man in Black, Elba found Roland's other relationship more impactful.

"At the heart of it, it's almost like a buddy story between Jake and Roland. It was great to have Tom learning and adapting on set, but at the same time breathing real life into Jake."

The Dark Tower is scheduled for release in 2017.