Stephen King, I'm willing to bet, deep down inside and away from the paparazzi, HATES the decision-making behind this film, but can't say so b/c it will make him look like a racist douche. You ALL know this is true.
Come quietly, or there will be...trouble.
Not necessarily true but certainly plausible.
shareYeah, if King said anything remotely negative about the casting the media would have a field day. They'd be counting how many times he has used the n-word in his books, how many and what kind of black characters he has had and by the end of the week he'd be a full blown racist.
Sure, he might actually approve and be fine with it, but he's not going to say otherwise even if he doesn't like it.
Then why didn't he say something while the decisions were still being made? They were happening long before any news was released to the public, and King was involved in this project from the start. He could have easily said that he wanted to keep the racial dynamics of the ka-tet as it is in the books and have the casting reflect that, which would have been a perfectly reasonable request to make, and there would have been nothing at all racist about it.
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It's the question that drives us. I know the answer is 42.
If it leaked that King specifically requested the characters' races remain consistent with the books, some media outlets would've crucified him.
shareAs someone who's more than familiar with how certain segments of the media react to real or perceived racism from public figures, I very highly doubt it. As I said, it would have been a perfectly reasonable request for him to make while they were still discussing possible actors for the role and Elba was first brought up. He could have said no, explaining that he considered the racial dynamic between Roland and Susannah to be an important part of the story - there would have been nothing racist about that, to the contrary even.
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It's the question that drives us. I know the answer is 42.
Prove it.
I find Oscar Bait infinitely more interesting than ticket bait
King has a long history of being pretty anal when it comes to the faithfulness of adaptations of his books. You look at any that he's wrote the script for and they're usually word for word or near enough. His favourite adaptations, like those by Frank Darabont, tend to be very close. I doubt that he's breaking with that trend now and is suddenly okay with casting that's miles away from the character he wrote.
shareWhile all things are possible in an infinite universe... I doubt this is the case. He's been actively singing the praises of the casting choice. If he wasn't happy with it, he could have just acknowledged it and said nothing more or refused to comment at all. I think he's pleased enough with the choice and the reasons that have been given to him for it.
Who loves ya, baby?
Stephen King, I'm willing to bet, deep down inside and away from the paparazzi, HATES the decision-making behind this film, but can't say so b/c it will make him look like a racist douche. You ALL know this is true.
All king said in the tweet was that the gunslinger's race was unimportant. There are other problems with this decision. I see Elba's casting as not too different from the casting of a young Arnie or Bruce Willis. He's got the build of an action hero. All the controversy over race is blinding people to these other issues.
shareA paranoid conspiracy needs to be self-sustaining or else it quickly withers and dies.
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It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing .
It wouldn't surprise me. King in the past has been very outspoken about adaptions which change a lot so him being ok with a casting that changes the story that much just doesn't fit. And if he had said anything against it within minutes there would be no shortage of idiots claiming he was racist.
That or he's just become a yes man now, as that would also explain how the Under the Dome tv show was ever allowed to be made like that.
It wouldn't surprise me. King in the past has been very outspoken about adaptions which change a lot so him being ok with a casting that changes the story that much just doesn't fit. And if he had said anything against it within minutes there would be no shortage of idiots claiming he was racist.
That or he's just become a yes man now, as that would also explain how the Under the Dome tv show was ever allowed to be made like that.
the real answer is not only does he has no say once he sold the movie rights, his final paycheck also depends on it's success.
the real answer is not only does he has no say once he sold the movie rights
his final paycheck also depends on it's success.