Ah, THE DARK TOWER. We keep coming back to you. The massive film/television project is still floating in limbo, but director Ron Howard, screenwriter Akiva Goldsman and author Stephen King (who is actively involved with it), continue to develop it. When we last left the Tower, Howard had essentially taken a vow of silence in regards to shedding any more light on its progress. Bottom line: we have no clue how close they are to getting it officially off the ground.
But here’s a ray of hope: they’re still meeting with actors. Javier Bardem and Russell Crowe have been associated with the lead part of Roland Deschain at different times, but what about the rest of his crew? The character of Eddie Dean, reformed drug addict and humorous voice of reason in the series, is one of the more crucial parts to fill, and almost everyone I’ve ever spoken to about the role in recent years has had one name in mind: Aaron Paul, Emmy-winning star of “Breaking Bad.” (Or perhaps you remember him from the LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT remake.)
Quint over at AintItCoolNews sat down with Mr. Paul at the Sundance Film Festival and got him to spill a few beans about the Dean role:
I’ve had a ton of meetings on that. I just had a general sit down with Ron Howard, who is a huge fan of the show (Breaking Bad, naturally), which is such a crazy thing to even think that Ron Howard even knows who I am. They’re definitely planning on making it.”
So it’s not just speculation or “dream casting”: Paul is actively in contention for the part. The actor added this:
I’m excited. Their goal is to do three films, but also have a television element to it, which will be very interesting. From what I hear, Eddie Dean is a pretty epic, iconic character.”
As Quint notes, this is not set in stone or to be taken as gospel. But it reassures us of a couple things: Ron Howard is still moving forward on his grand King adaptation, and it’s not just the fans who think Aaron Paul is the perfect fit for Eddie Dean.
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