If you cast your mind back a few years, you might remember that the McConaissance was in full swing. We’re referring to Matthew McConaughey’s stunning transformation from the go-to leading man for chick flicks to an impressive batch of performances one after another in films like Mud, Dallas Buyers Club, Interstellar and more. It was around this time that the actor began to flirt with superhero movies and in particular, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
While it never came to fruition, McConaughey was close to signing on from what we heard but ultimately, chose to star in The Dark Tower instead, the upcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s iconic story. It’ll co-star Idris Elba and arrives this July, and now, in a new interview with Playboy, the actor reveals why he walked away from Marvel to make Sony’s tentpole instead. From the sounds of it, it came down to the creative freedom that the role gave him.
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.
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.
As fun as it would have been to see McConaughey appear alongside Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 cast, his reasoning for choosing The Dark Tower instead is certainly sound. He’ll no doubt be a more integral part of the latter franchise, but it’s still hard to deny how awesome it would have been to see the actor in a villainous role going up against Star-Lord and co. As such, we’re definitely a bit upset that it didn’t work out.
Alas, it was never meant to be. That doesn’t mean McConaughey won’t get back into bed with Marvel at another point, though. With his career continuing to flourish, and the studio clearly interested in working with him, we wouldn’t rule out a comic book movie role for the actor just yet. It may not happen in the near future, as he’s currently tied up with The Dark Tower which is no doubt a big commitment, but never say never.
For now, we’ll be looking forward to seeing McConaughey play the Man in Black in the upcoming Stephen King adaptation. It’s taken a very long time to bring the story to the big screen, but it appears to be one of 2017’s most exciting releases and we’re eager to see what the actor’s done with the role.
Tell us, would you have preferred to see Matthew McConaughey in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2., or are you happy he chose The Dark Tower instead? Sound off in the usual spot and let us know!