Matthew McConaughey explains why he chose The Dark Tower over Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

A Marvel or Stephen King adaptation? Life's hard for some...

With the success of Iron Man, Captain America, and The Avengers, no wonder Hollywood stars like Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, and Michael Keaton are signing up to Marvel's vast array of films.

However, one actor has gone against the grain and declined an invite from the Disney studio: Matthew McConaughey was offered the part of Star Lord’s father in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, a role that eventually went to Kurt Russel.

Why was the Interstellar actor so reluctant to be part of the series? According to his latest interview with Playboy, McConaughey was forced to choose between Guardians and the upcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower.

“I like Guardians of the Galaxy,” he told the publication, “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.

“The Dark Tower script was well written, I like the director [Nikolaj Arcel] 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.”

The Dark Tower looks set to begin a long-running franchise, led by the charismatic Idris Elba, who also features in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Heimdall in the Thor series. Perhaps the pair can exchange notes and McConaughey can find out what Marvel antics he missed.

Recently, the release date for The Dark Tower was pushed back. Reportedly, there's a worry that the film's special effects load won't be ready in time due to the film's modest budget compared with its Marvel competitors.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is set for release 5 May, while The Dark Tower will touch down 28 July.