Official Casting News

**kellykid** · January 27th, 2011

[QUOTE=muskrat;425834], cause "Won't it make his brown eyes blue..." (Yeah, like anyone remembers Crystal Gayle...)

I remeber..saw her open for Kenny Rogers waaaay back when.
Don't know how I feel about this choice, I have to admit that I haven't seen any of his movies.

**Connie Reader** · January 27th, 2011

Originally Posted by muskrat

I'm happy as a clam with the decision! Bardem is a good actor, and can be a mean bastid. Gotta have those contact lenses, though, cause "Won't it make his brown eyes blue..." (Yeah, like anyone remembers Crystal Gayle...)

Oh, this is good news--worth drinking over! And I'm so glad it won't be Viggo--he's a fine actor, but for me, he's no Roland. "The man in black fled across the desert, and the dude that played Aragorn followed..." Ugh...

hahahah!!! So true...love him but not as Roland.

and I remember Crystal Gayle! I was enthralled by her super long hair...

**skyrow** · January 27th, 2011

I always invisioned Billy Bob Thorton as Roland. It just fits perfectly in my mind. Either way I'm super excited, I feel like I have been waiting for this forever until I realize most of you HAVE really been waiting forever, or since the books came out. Also, they need to cast Colin Farrell for Eddie. He's PERFECT.

**Flipsk8emerica** · January 27th, 2011

Javier Bardiem will be great if he accepts although i still think Daniel Day Lewis would have fit the part perfect. Keep in mind whoever accepts the role of Roland isn't going to have much time to act in other films so Bardiem might not accept. Whover takes on this part better really love the character.

**muskrat** · January 27th, 2011

OH CRAP! I never even thought about Billy Bob! Hah! That'd be sweet! Whoah...He's gotta show up somewhere in this thing...maybe in the 'Calla! Lordy, Billy Bob could sling some mean Calla-speak, now couldn't he?

(Heck, I'm so jazzed--my nipples will be hard for weeks--and I'm a dude!)

**fushingfeef** · January 27th, 2011

I think it's a very good choice.

Bardem is a great actor and he has that rare ability to have so much presence without saying anything (or saying very little). Just like Roland. He does the "stoic and mysterious" thing just perfectly, with a nice semi-sinister edge to it that Viggo may have lacked. Viggo is mainly seen as heroic. Roland, while certainly heroic, also had that anti-hero quality where you knew he would stop at NOTHING if it got in his way of the Tower. Could you really see Viggo sacrificing

Show Spoiler

? Bardem has that "nothing can stop him" quality; in "No Country For Old Men" he plays a frightening man, yet a principled man, but they are HIS twisted principles, not someone else's. No one can sway him. I could not be more happy with this choice. To me, this is very exciting news, it shows they are taking this movie seriously!

Yeah, the blue eyes thing will be interesting. I'd have to see how he looks with blue contacts (or CGI eyes). If it looks odd or distracting, I would rather they just let him regular eye color, even though in my mind Roland will always have those great pale blue eyes.

**kingricefan** · January 27th, 2011

Although Bardem may be a fine actor, I don't think he is a good choice for Roland. Let's not forget that he is up for an Acadeny Award this year and he or his people may think that (if he wins) doing a feature film or two and then doing episodes of TV and then more feature films based on the DT books may not be worth his (their) time. He is not what I pictured as Roland at all. I'd much rather have Viggo playing that part, he is who I have always pictured in the last few years. I think Viggo is such a good actor that he would be able to make you forget that he was in the Lord of the Ring movies, plus he knows what demands would be made upon him if he was to commit to these films (and TV). Whomever gets this role is going to be very very busy for quite awhile. I don't think Ron Howard is a good choice for director either (I'm thinking the two Davinci Code movies). But, it's just my opinion.

**bobledrew** · January 27th, 2011

Hey, we're all here to share opinions. I've not seen a lot of Bardem, but I look at it this way -- Howard, Grazer, et al are investing a #$(*TU# of a lotta dough in this. They've decided that Bardem's the dude (for possible reasons of box office appeal, "fit" for the part, willingness to commit to the entire enterprise, whatever...) and they probably have some good reasons for it. In the end, it will either work or it won't.

As to Mortenson, he seems to be a tough nut to crack on casting, according to these stories about LOTR.

**johnny39** · January 27th, 2011

Excellent choice.

In case where it's pick the better actor or the guy who looks more like you imagined the character I go with better actor 10 out of 10 times.

Not to mention, Bardem has a very hard look that will play really well with the character. I think this is the best choice by far.