A new fantasy movie starring Idris Elba can make up for 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 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 s A Star-Studded Cast

Children of Blood and Bone book cover

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.

Children of Blood and Bone Actor

Children of Blood & Bone Character

Thuso Mbedu

Zelie

Amandla Stenberg

Amari

Damson Idris

Inan

Tosin Cole

Tzain

Viola Davis

Mama Agba

Cynthia Erivo

iral Kaea

Idris Elba

Lekan

Lashana Lynch

Jumoke

Chiwetel Ejiofor

King Saran

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 deadliness that is crucial to the character, and to the narrative of him being the last gunslinger in Mid-World.

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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

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The Dark Tower
Release Date
August 4, 2017
Runtime
95 Minutes
Director
Nikolaj Arcel

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Idris Elba, Tom Taylor, Claudia Kim, and Matthew McConaughey star in The Dark Tower, a Western Sci-Fi film directed by Nikolaj Arcel. Released in 2017, The Dark Tower follows a young boy with visions of an apocalyptic future in which a powerful man, dubbed The Man in Black, lays waste to the universe. The film is based on the Stephen King book series.

Writers
Anders Thomas Jensen, Jeff Pinkner, Nikolaj Arcel, Akiva Goldsman