Stephen King Confirms 'Dark Tower' Progress, Idris Elba Casting Rumors

As fans of Stephen King's fantasy series "The Dark Tower" have come to realize over the years, any reports about the long-awaited big screen adaptation of the novels can't really be believed. After all, this is the project that was dropped by not one, but two different studios, and has cycled through potential stars faster than you can say "Javier Bardem." So the latest reports, that the flick is due in theaters early next year, and both Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey are in talks to star, are also bogus, right?

Well, not so fast: According to King himself, there's hope that this movie version of his beloved books may actually, truly, finally be happening -- and yes, both Elba and McConaughey are interested.

That's the word straight from the author, who chatted with Rolling Stone in promotion of the new Hulu miniseries "11/22/63," which is based on his besteller. Of course, King knows the history of the troubled "Dark Tower" film production better than anyone, and he's not ready to say with certainty that this is actually happening -- just that, as far as he can tell right now, it's looking like a strong possibility.

"It looks to me like it's more likely than not it'll happen at this point," the author told the magazine. "Let's put it that way."

And he also confirmed all those juicy casting rumors, too -- that Elba is being eyed to play protagonist Roland Deschain (a.k.a. The Gunslinger), and McConaughey is in negotiations for the villainous Randall Flagg (a.k.a. the Man in Black) -- though, again, with a caveat.

"I think that it's more likely than not that Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey will be in it," King told Rolling Stone. "But I can't say with any certainty. I know that they're trying to make deals with these actors [and] with Sony, and that's the extent of my knowledge."

Despite all the hedging, King is without a doubt the best source for this intel, so it's great that he's able to share it on the record. Now we just have to wait for an official announcement from studio Sony, revealing the cast and confirming the release date.

A this point, it's unclear if the initial ambitious plan for the project -- a handful of theatrical films, with a televised miniseries running between them -- is still in play. Either way, we hope we see Elba and McConaughey facing off sometime soon.

"The Dark Tower" is tentatively scheduled to hit theaters on January 13, 2017.

[via: Rolling Stone]

Photo credit: Getty Images for Turner



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