Skip to main content
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Kate Winslet at the 2023 BAFTA Television Awards
Lord of the Rings Movies Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum casts Kate Winslet as female lead
Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby riding a horse in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man
Crime Shows Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man director explains how the Netflix movie differs from the show
Alan Ritchson in Reacher season 3
Action Shows Reacher star Alan Ritchson says season 4 is coming this year: "It's by far the best season we've had yet"
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Lord of the Rings Movies The Hunt For Gollum release date, plot, cast, and more news
Dune 2 review
Sci-Fi Movies Dune 3 character posters reveal the first look at Robert Pattinson's shapeshifting villain
Will Smith as Dr. Robert Neville in I Am Legend
Action Movies I Am Legend 2 release date speculation, cast, plot, trailer, and everything we know about the upcoming horror sequel
Jamie Bell as Niall and Richard Gadd as Ruben in Half Man
Drama Shows Baby Reindeer creator's upcoming show gets new look featuring his drastic physical change
Elden Ring
Fantasy Movies Elden Ring movie release date speculation, cast, director, and more
Nathan Gamble as Billy, Laurie Holden as Amanda, Jeffrey DeMunn as Dan, and Thomas Jane as David in Frank Darabont's The Mist
Horror Movies Upcoming Stephen King movies and TV shows in 2026 and beyond
Alan Ritchson as 81 in War Machine
Sci-Fi Movies Alan Ritchson says Reacher was the most physically demanding role he'd ever played before signing on to War Machine
Planeswalkers in Magic: The Gathering
Fantasy Movies Magic the Gathering director Matt Johnson says MTG is "my Star Wars", even though a 2006 pro tour loss still scars him
Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man
Crime Movies Cillian Murphy says Netflix's Peaky Blinders movie is the "natural conclusion" for Tommy Shelby
Alan Ritchson as 81 in War Machine
Sci-Fi Movies War Machine director says practical FX was "paramount" to make the sci-fi action movie feel as real as possible
Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Fantasy Movies Elijah Wood says he "wouldn't want anybody else to play Frodo", and now we're thinking he's in The Hunt for Gollum
Jessie Buckley in The Bride
Horror Movies The Bride first reactions say Jessie Buckley's new Frankenstein movie is "what Joker 2 desperately wished it was"
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

First shots of Idris Elba as The Dark Tower's Gunslinger

News
By Gem Seddon published 17 May 2016

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

It's been a long and winding road to The Dark Tower, for audiences and the characters journeying to the legendary locale, but the end is in sight. Shooting on the first film in a proposed series kicked off earlier this year. A few weeks back a bunch of set photos hit the web, showing off the landscapes and scenery, and we've now got our first look at the man leading the Stephen King adaptation. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: Idris Elba. 

First Look Idris Elba rodando La Torre Oscura #TheDarkTower https://t.co/WyXtKXJJnV pic.twitter.com/CHzyxbRGlKMay 16, 2016

As Roland Deschain, aka The Gunslinger, Elba really looks the part. That first snap shows him decked out in faded jeans, a white shirt, a waistcoat, scarf and pair of boots which is how Deschain is described in most of the novels. But it's the long, dark overcoat in the second shot that's the cherry on top. Together with his holstered six-shooters, it's like he was born to play the role. 

In King's original story, Roland vows to track down the Man In Black (played in the film by Matthew McConaughey) and reach the Dark Tower before the fabric between universes comes asunder. That's nutshelling it to the extreme. There's eight titles in the series and that's not counting all the other books it's connected to. Hmm, wonder if they'll find a way to include that Danny Torrance easter egg from the novels... 

You may like
  • Mike Flanagan wants to get to work on his Dark Tower series to ensure the movie isn’t “the final word”
  • Nicholas Galitzine as Adam in Masters of the Universe Masters of the Universe trailer offers up first looks at Battle Cat, Eternia, and Idris Elba's Man-At-Arms
  • Henry Cavill Henry Cavill looks battle-worn in long-awaited first look at John Wick creator's Highlander reboot

Directed by Nikolaj Arcel, and starring Matthew McConaughey, Idris Elba, Jackie Earle Haley, Fran Kranz, Abbey Lee, Katheryn Winnick and Tom Taylor, The Dark Tower opens on February 17, 2017. 

Images: BBC, Daily Mail 

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
Gem Seddon
Gem Seddon
Social Links Navigation
Freelance Writer

Gem Seddon is a freelance writer working to keep all of you updated on all of the latest and greatest movies and shows on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Outside of entertainment journalism, Gem can frequently be found writing about the alternative health and wellness industry, and obsessing over all things Aliens and Terminator on Twitter.

Read more
Sci-Fi Shows Mike Flanagan wants to get to work on his Dark Tower series to ensure the movie isn’t “the final word”
 
 
Nicholas Galitzine as Adam in Masters of the Universe
Adventure Movies Masters of the Universe trailer offers up first looks at Battle Cat, Eternia, and Idris Elba's Man-At-Arms
 
 
Henry Cavill
Action Movies Henry Cavill looks battle-worn in long-awaited first look at John Wick creator's Highlander reboot
 
 
The giant robot villain of Netflix's War Machine charging up an energy blast
Sci-Fi Movies The first trailer for Netflix's War Machine channels Predator vibes as Reacher star takes on an unstoppable killer robot
 
 
Elden Ring
Fantasy Movies Elden Ring movie release date speculation, cast, director, and more
 
 
Dune 2 review
Sci-Fi Movies Dune 3 character posters reveal the first look at Robert Pattinson's shapeshifting villain
 
 
Latest in Movies
John Krasinski as Jack Ryan in Ghost War
Action Movies Prime Video drops first trailer for a feature-length Jack Ryan movie starring John Krasinski
 
 
Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace in Project Hail Mary
Sci-Fi Movies Speculation on when Ryan Gosling's new sci-fi blockbuster Project Hail Mary is coming to Prime Video
 
 
Michael B. Jordan as 'Smoke' and 'Stack' in Ryan Coogler's new vampire horror Sinners
Anime Movies Michael B. Jordan says his favorite film is this Studio Ghibli classic in a post-Oscars street interview
 
 
A screenshot from a Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer clip featuring Spider-Man web-swinging while holding a man
Marvel Movies Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer launch – all the clips posted throughout the day from Spider-Man 4
 
 
Spider-Man: Brand New Day suit
Marvel Movies Spider-Man: Brand New Day's 24-hour trailer launch makes Avengers: Doomsday's cast reveal look small
 
 
Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in the Dune: Part Three trailer
Sci-Fi Movies New Dune 3 trailer teases an older Paul Atreides, a new villain, and battles aplenty on Arrakis
 
 
Latest in News
A young man scanning a reef while looking at an alien fish during the trailer for Subnautica 2.
Survival Games Subnautica 2 early access release date set for May despite lawsuit disaster
 
 
Grace checks her phone on the street in Resident Evil Requiem
Games Epic Games producer says people worried DLSS 5 is "detracting from art direction" are "insane"
 
 
Nioh 3 bird warrior with sword and wings
Action RPGs "We referenced Elden Ring" on Nioh 3, says lead dev, but it's not a "response" to FromSoftware
 
 
John Krasinski as Jack Ryan in Ghost War
Action Movies Prime Video drops first trailer for a feature-length Jack Ryan movie starring John Krasinski
 
 
Captain Toad looks around on the streets of New Donk City
Super Mario Beloved Mario RPG hides a secret "'Toads ramming each other rapidly' test room"
 
 
Ellie and Joel during The Last of Us
Survival Horror Games The Last of Us sparked "internal fight" at Naughty Dog, says veteran designer: "'It's not just another zombie game'"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Grace checks her phone on the street in Resident Evil Requiem
    1
    Epic Games producer says people worried DLSS 5 is "detracting from art direction" are "insane"
  2. 2
    "We referenced Elden Ring" on Nioh 3, says lead dev, but it's not a "response" to FromSoftware
  3. 3
    Prime Video drops first trailer for a feature-length Jack Ryan movie starring John Krasinski
  4. 4
    Beloved Mario RPG hides a secret "'Toads ramming each other rapidly' test room"
  5. 5
    I'm convinced the greatest horror game of all time is the Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly remake

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...