The half-decade long McConaissance has generally endured because Matthew McConaughey has chosen interesting directors to work with (Richard Linklater, William Friedkin, Lee Daniels, Jeff Nichols, Christopher Nolan, Jean-Marc Vallée, Martin Scorsese, Gus Van Sant, Stephan Gaghan) over blockbuster gigs. Granted, sometimes those non-tentpoles don’t work out, but I’d wager for an actor like McConaughey who has experienced the pain of at least one mega-flop in his career (“Sahara“), it’s easier to move on from something like “The Paperboy” or “The Sea of Trees,” where there isn’t so much money on the line. However, that’s not to say major studio projects haven’t crossed his desk.
In late 2015 it was revealed that McConaughey had turned down an unspecified villain role in Marvel‘s “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2.” With A-listers continuing to roll up their sleeves for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s certainly notable that the actor decided to pass, and in an interview with Playboy (via Uproxx), he explains why he turned it down, and how “The Dark Tower” was a much more interesting prospect.
“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. ‘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,” McConaughey said. “We’ve done the first one. It’s a fantastic thriller that takes place in another realm, an alternate universe, but it’s very much grounded. 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.”
Essentially, it sounds like McConaughey felt like he had a meatier role in “The Dark Tower” versus whatever he would’ve done in ‘Guardians,’ and fair enough. And certainly, if “The Dark Tower” takes off, McConaughey will be at the forefront of a new cinematic universe (there is already talk of a TV show spinoff) rather than just a bit player in an existing one.
“The Dark Tower” opens on July 28, 2017. Meanwhile, check out some new photos below.