Did Matthew McConaughey Turn Down ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy 2’ For Stephen King’s ‘The Dark Tower’ Out Of Arrogance?
Matthew McConaughey, Hollywood’s golden boy, discussed in a recent interview with Playboy why he turned down a major role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, instead choosing to co-star in the upcoming movie adaptation of Stephen King’s sci-fi western The Dark Tower. Matthew’s reasoning behind the decision is very surprising and goes to show that McConaughey is certainly not modest when it comes to his self-image.
RT timleong: Behold! EW's King-sized Comic-Con Preview Issue featuring a first look at THE DARK TOWER … https://t.co/cA5caIyalI
— Rotten Tomatoes (@rottentomatoes4) July 14, 2016
When asked about turning down the role of the main villain in the follow-up to the tremendously successful Guardians of the Galaxy, reports AV Club, Matthew McConaughey said that he did not want to be just another star in a cast that is already led by huge Hollywood icons like Chris Pratt, John C. Reilly, Zoe Saldana, and Benicio Del Toro. The Matthew McConaughey name would just be more of the same star power.
“I like Guardians of the Galaxy, but what I saw was ‘It’s successful, and now we’ve got room to make a colorful part for another big-name actor.’ I’d feel like an amendment.”
In other words, McCounaughey feels he would not stand out as much were he working amongst lots of other big names.
That is not to say that The Dark Tower’s cast is made up of complete unknowns. Idris Elba, who has played a major role in films such as Prometheus and Pacific Rim, will play opposite Matthew McConaughey as his arch-nemesis. Other roles will be filled by Katheryn Winnick, Fran Kranz, and Jackie Earle Haley.
Still, though, Matthew McConaughey’s name will undoubtedly appear in bigger letters on The Dark Tower’s movie poster than it would on one for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. In the movie, he plays the primary antagonist, known only as the Man in Black.
To be fair, McConaughey said in the interview he also chose the Dark Tower for some less ego-driven reasons.
“The Dark Tower script was well written, I like the director and his take on it, and I can be the creator, the author of the Man in Black—a.k.a. the Devil—in my version of this Stephen King novel.”
Those who have read Stephen King’s gargantuan Black Tower saga will likely understand what McConaughey means when he says he can be the author of the Man in Black. For those who haven’t, the character is very mysterious. Although he is supposed to be an embodiment of pure evil, he is somewhat of a blank slate onto which readers are left to project their own fears.
McConaughey is excited to play such an ambiguous character to whom he will be able to bring some of his own personal flair, and time will tell if Matthew can bring his A-game to a role that is so open to interpretation.
McConaughey is also excited about the movie itself, which he commends for being very gritty and realistic, in contrast to the more spacey and fantastical vibe of Guardians of the Galaxy.
“It’s very much grounded,” McConaughey noted in reference to The Dark Tower. “For instance, the gunslinger’s weapon isn’t a lightsaber or something; it’s a pistol. I enjoyed approaching my character as if I were the Devil having a good time, getting turned on by exposing human hypocrisies wherever he finds them.”
Say what you will about Matthew McConaughey’s decision to feed his ego (if you can call it that) by turning down Guardians; that role sounds almost perfect for him. In fact, points out AV Club, it comes pretty close to describing McConaughey’s already well-established silver screen persona.
The Dark Tower movie adaptation is slated to come out this Summer after being stuck in the pre-development phase for years. Let’s hope Matthew McConaughey’s Man in Black and the rest of director Nikolaj Arcel’s team can make the wait worthwhile.
[Featured image by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP Images]
