“I’d feel like an amendment”: the Marvel blockbuster Matthew McConaughey turned down for a flop
After years of making subpar romcoms and boring adventure movies, Matthew McConaughey finally hit the big time in the mid-2010s.
The so-called ‘McConaissance’ transformed the treacle-voiced star from middling performer to Oscar-winning sensation. It opened doors for him that had previously been slammed right in his face, but it also meant he was more susceptible to folly.
In 2017, McConaughey was cast as Walter ‘The Man in Black’ Padick in Nikolaj Arcel’s adaptation of The Dark Tower, inspired by the Stephen King books of the same name, but his attempts to kickstart this major new franchise ended in disappointment. The Dark Tower centres on a young boy named Jake, played by Tom Taylor, who finds himself transported to another dimension, where he meets a heroic gunslinger in the form of Idris Elba’s character, and must protect the titular structure from Padic, a sinister warlock.
McConaughey explained his decision to make the film in a bizarre 2016 interview with Playboy, saying, “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, AKA 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.”
Unfortunately, few others shared McConaughey’s enthusiasm as The Dark Tower was met poorly by critics, who felt that too much of the original source material had been crammed into one film. Some reviewers praised the performances and the music, but most agreed that it was a waste of time, and even King himself thought it was rubbish.
To make matters worse, McConaughey took the gig at the expense of something much, much better, as it was reported at the time that the Texan was offered a role in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.
It’s claimed that he was asked to be ‘the villain’ of the movie, but that would have seen him play Ego the Living Planet, who is supposed to be Star-Lord’s (Chris Pratt) father, and was eventually played by Kurt Russell. It doesn’t make sense that they initially wanted to hire a much younger actor, but whatever the truth is, McConaughey messed up big time.
Following the unexpected success of the first movie, Vol 2 was an even bigger smash, making over $869million at the box office on a budget of $200m, rounding out 2017 as the year’s eighth highest-grossing movie. It performed well among critics too, with many citing how it handled bigger emotions than its predecessor, and even if it’s not your cup of tea, you have to admit it was better than The Dark Tower.
When asked why he turned this amazing opportunity down, McConaughey explained, “I like Guardians of the Galaxy, but what I saw was ‘It’s successful, and now we’ve got room to make a colourful part for another big-name actor’. I’d feel like an amendment.” You can decide for yourself if that was the right call.
