The Dark Tower has long been linked to a possible big-screen adaptation, but it seems that Warner Bros are now close to agreeing a deal to bring Stephen King’s mammoth fantasy to the cinemagoing public.
Director Ron Howard was thought to be making the film last year, only for Universal to reject his script. Next up were Akiva Goldsman and Brian Grazer, who were planning to make the property into a TV show, before Warner stepped in to resurrect the idea of a film.
The studio are apparently keen for Howard to direct, with Goldsman giving his original script a bit of a polish. Javier Bardem had been linked to the project the first time around, and Warner would be receptive to him playing the lead in their newly revived version.
The story focuses on gunslinger Roland Deschain in his attempts to locate a mythical structure known as the Dark Tower, the nexus of a number of interlinked universes. The saga has sprawled across seven books to date, with an eighth set to arrive later this year.
Early projections have production slated to start on the film in 2013, giving Goldsman plenty of time to finesse Howard’s script. In the meantime, you can see how other King adaptations have fared in our rundown of the horror author’s best and worst cinematic outings …
