Marvel has swung for the fences going after big stars to join their cinematic universe, and they've scored some huge names in the process. But that only makes it more interesting when they fail. A couple of years ago a report surfaced that Matthew McConaughey was up for a bad guy role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but nothing ever came of it and he instead wound up as the villain of The Dark Tower. Well now in a Playboy interview McConaughey gives his reasons for turning down the Marvel movie...
“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.”
So what it boils down to is that McConaughey had a lot more to do in The Dark Tower than he would have in 'Guardians', and it's hard to argue that point. He would always just be a tiny part of the Marvel machine no matter how successful the film may be, but with The Dark Tower he is an integral piece with the power to define who The Man in Black is.
The Dark Tower opens July 28th 2017.
