TWD’s Andrew Lincoln Could Be Perfect For The Dark Tower

There have been many theories and ideas concerning the highly anticipated adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series by acclaimed director Mike Flanagan, from which characters should appear in the first season to which plot points to include, and so much more. Yet the most anticipated question fans have at this point—beyond when this adaptation will begin being made—is a simple yet powerful idea that could drive the entire direction of the anticipated series moving forward: Who should play Roland Deschain, the Gunslinger?

The beloved star of AMC’s The Walking Dead, Andrew Lincoln, is a perfect choice. After the years spent playing Rick Grimes on The Walking Dead, he has proven time and time again that he can play morally complex heroes who must walk a fine line not only to survive, but to accomplish their mission. Grimes is a rugged sheriff who fought to save his family and keep his fellow survivors safe from the dead and beyond. It is hard not to imagine the actor who portrayed him stepping into the shoes of the last surviving member of the gunslingers and chasing the man in black toward the Dark Tower, which is why he is so perfect for this role.

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Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes, Explained

To fully understand the choice of Andrew Lincoln for Roland Deschain, one must first understand his role as Rick Grimes. When AMC’s The Walking Dead first premiered in 2010, the show followed Rick Grimes, a small-town sheriff who falls into a coma after a gunfight with local criminals, wakes up alone, and faces a world overrun with zombies. Determined to find out if his family is alive, he sets off on a journey to Atlanta, Georgia, where he eventually finds his wife and son alive on the outskirts of the city.

The series follows Rick as he faces challenge after challenge, and his hopeful worldview changes and falters as time goes on. Whether it is his best friend Shane’s betrayal or the mad machinations of the Governor, Rick faces a series of rough battles against both the living and the dead in a now lawless world. After the personal losses mount ever higher on his plate, Rick nearly loses himself when he and his friends find a working community known as Alexandria, coming close to becoming the thing he fought against so steadfastly when he first came out of a coma.

Over time, he finds his sense of self again, but not before being tested the most when facing Negan—a ruthless leader who kills without hesitation or discrimination—demands loyalty and fealty from Rick and his community. Fear nearly forces Rick into submission, but he soon finds his fight again and begins a war between Negan and himself and his allied communities. Through more personal losses, he discovers what it means to survive and be worthy of survival.

Comparing Rick Grimes and Roland Deschain

Although hailing from very different worlds, Rick Grimes and Roland Deschain are not that dissimilar to one another. Both are born lawmen, with Rick taking his morality and sense of justice as a sheriff into the world of the undead, while Roland was born into a royal line of lawmen and became a gunslinger at 14. Both have also suffered from a long line of personal losses, with Rick losing everyone from his wife and son to longtime friends and allies throughout his years of survival. In contrast, Roland lost his parents, his first group of friends and allies, and his entire realm at the hands of the Crimson King’s forces, and was left for dead, much like Rick was when he went into that coma.

Both Rick and Roland are seasoned warriors and gunslingers and have become broken and battered physically and psychologically during their long years of survival. They also have suffered tremendous emotional pain, and after seeing the wide range of emotions Andrew Lincoln portrayed as Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead, it would be great to see that range applied to Roland, keeping that stoic righteousness the gunslinger is known for while quietly struggling with the weight of each loss and every monumental step he takes towards the Dark Tower.

The weight of this role is heavy, and finding just the right actor to bring this role to life is one of the most essential decisions Mike Flanagan and his team will have when moving forward with this project. For all the film’s faults, Idris Elba has already proven to be a worthy actor to bring Roland to life. Many other great names, such as Pedro Pascal, Timothy Olyphant, and many more, have come forward. Still, for longtime fans of The Walking Dead, no actor could capture the emotional weight and gravitas of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series and the hero Roland Deschain more than Andrew Lincoln.

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Stephen King

Birthdate

September 21, 1947

Birthplace

Portland, Maine

Notable Projects

The Shining, Cujo, The Shawshank Redemption, It, Carrie