It's been a while since we heard anything substantial regarding Ron Howard's ambitious take on The Dark Tower, but now almost by chance we have an update from an actor who may well be involved in the production. While chatting to Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad, Need For Speed) at Sundance about his new film Hellion, AICN's Quint mentions that he's always thought he'd make a great Eddie Dean in a Dark Tower adaptation, and not only does Paul confirm that one is still on the cards, but also reveals he's had "a ton of meetings" regarding that very role. Here's the guts of their conversation.
Quint: For what it’s worth when I watched the first season of Breaking Bad I immediately thought you’d be perfect as Eddie Dean in a Dark Tower movie. I don’t know if you’ve read those books…
Aaron Paul: I have not read them all. He shows up midway through the second book, right?
Quint: Yes. I know it’s typecasting a little bit, but you’d be my choice for the part.
Aaron Paul: Thank you. I’ve had a ton of meetings on that. I just had a general sit down with Ron Howard, who is a huge fan of the show (Breaking Bad, naturally), which is such a crazy thing to even think that Ron Howard even knows who I am. They’re definitely planning on making it.
Quint: It's such a tough series to crack, man. I don't envy them trying to make it work.
Aaron Paul: I'm excited. Their goal is to do three films, but also have a television element to it, which will be very interesting. From what I hear, Eddie Dean is a pretty epic, iconic character.
When Paul is told that it's a great role and he should not turn it down when it's offered, the actor replies that he "definitely will not". Interesting stuff indeed. For those unfamiliar with the character, Edward "Eddie" Cantor Dean is a 23 year old former heroine addict and a member of The Gunslinger Roland Deschain's second "ka-tet". As Quint mentions, it almost would be type casting for Paul to play him...but at the same time there's no denying that he would be perfect for the role! What do you guys think?