I have liked Idris Elba ever since he played Russell
"Stinger" Bell on season one of The Wire. Such is the man's talent
that I had no idea this actor, playing a hoodlum from the seedy side of
Baltimore, was actually a Brit. Elba stole every scene--the man exudes
charisma. I applaud Hollywood's efforts to find Elba a franchise
vehicle because
he is certainly deserving. However, and I say this as both a story purist and
fan of the Dark Tower novels, Idris Elba as Roland is a bad casting
decision. It's not that I think he won't deliver a good performance...it's
that there are elements of the story where this does not fit. This decision was borne
out of misguided political correctness, a desire to jump on the "Zeitgeist
of Diversity" band wagon, but at the expense of The Dark Tower. Either
that or the producers just plumb hadn't read the novels.
Despite Hollywood's reputation as a liberal bastion, many
find that when it comes to actual practice, Hollywood has fallen short of the
mark with regards to developing a diverse range of properties that showcase
minorities in a positive light. Hollywood should produce properties that are
inclusive and diverse, and represent the culture at large because a realistic
representation of our society on screen has positive benefits for viewers of
all races and is good for box office returns. Black children deserve to have heroes they can project themselves on
as much as white children--we all want our kids to see a place in the world for
themselves. The past few years have seen a great effort to correct past trends,
and though no one has issue (at least I hope they don't) with casting a black
actor in an original property (like Independence Day or Star Wars: The Force Awakens),
the act of casting a traditionally white character with a black actor has at
times lit up the Internet with unsavory comments.
