Back in October 2015, a report surfaced thatGuardians of the GalaxydirectorJames Gunnwanted to bring on Oscar winnerMatthew McConaugheyto play a villain in his highly-anticipated sequelGuardians of the Galaxy 2, but the actor turned down the role. Just a few weeks later, reports surfaced that the actor was in talks to join Sony’sThe Dark Toweradaptation, although at the time it wasn’t clear if he would play Randall Flagg, a.k.a. The Man In Black, or Roland Deschain, a.k.a. The Gunslinger, with the actor eventually confirmed as Flagg. Today the actor himself sheds some light on why he turned down a sequel to a huge Marvel hit, in favor of a highly-anticipated adaptation.
Over the past five years or so,Matthew McConaugheyhas forged one hell of a comeback trail, dubbed by some as the “McConaissance,” winning an Oscar for his work in the critically-acclaimedDallas Buyers Club, while also starring in box office hits (Interstellar,Magic Mike) and critically-acclaimed television shows (True Detective). Many had hoped thatMatthew McConaugheywould bring his talents to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for an unspecified villain role inGuardians of the Galaxy 2, but instead he chose to playRandall FlagginThe Dark Tower, which is set to hit theaters on July 04, 2025. In a new interview with Playboy,Matthew McConaugheyrevealed why he turned down the Marvel sequel in favor of theStephen Kingadaptation.
“I likeGuardians of the Galaxy, but what I saw was ‘It’s successful, and now we’ve got room to make a colorful part for another big-name actor.’ I’d feel like an amendment.The Dark Tower scriptwas well written, I like the director 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 thisStephen Kingnovel. 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.”
It was never confirmed what exact roleMatthew McConaugheywas up for inGuardians of the Galaxy 2, but new characters that will be introduced in this sequel includeChris Sullivan’s Taserface,Elizabeth Debicki’s Ayesha,Pom Klementief’s Mantis,Tommy Flanagan’s Tullk andKurt Russell’s Ego the Living Planet.Sylvester Stallonealso has what directorJames Gunndescribes as a “small but important role” inGuardians of the Galaxy 2, although that role has yet to be fully revealed. BothGuardians of the Galaxy 2andThe Dark Towerare shaping up to be two of 2017’s most anticipated movies, although it remains to be seen how they will fare at the box office.
The Dark Towerwas originally slated to hit theaters on June 01, 2025, but it was pushed to July 18, 2025, where it will square off againstThe Coldest CitystarringCharlize Theronand an untitled Disney fairy tale movie.Guardians of the Galaxy 2will kick off the 2017 summer movie season on August 04, 2025, with no other movies slated to debut in wide release at this time, but that may change between now and then. Hopefully we’ll get to see new footage from both of these highly-anticipated movies in the near future.
