There’s been another twist in the long-running saga of Ron Howard and Brian Glazer’s proposed adaptation of Stephen King’s magnum opus The Dark Tower today with the news that Warner Bros. are likely to make a decision within the next two weeks about whether to proceed with the first instalment of what could potentially become one of the most epic multi-platform projects in history. Furthermore, according to Deadline, Javier Bardem (Skyfall) vacated the role of gunslinger Roland Deschain, with Howard, Grazer and Goldsman now said to be keep on replacing the actor with another Oscar-winner in their A Beautiful Mind leading man Russell Crowe.
Although Crowe has held unofficial talks about joining The Dark Tower, no deal has been agreed with the actor and it remains to be seen whether he’ll commit to a project which is intended to be comprised of three feature films and two television miniseries (the latter of which is to be produced by the Time Warner-owned HBO, who has enjoyed huge success with their small screen adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones). Crowe has been very active as of late, having recently completed the likes of The Man with the Iron Fists, Les Misérables and Man of Steel; he is currently filming Darren Aronofsky’s biblical effort Noah, and is also rumoured to be in line for the role of Count Dracula in Harker, as well as potentially making his directorial debut with a biopic about the comedian Bill Hicks.
Plans to bring The Dark Tower to the screen can be traced back to 2007, when J.J. Abrams (Star Trek) was linked to a feature film version. In 2010, Universal Pictures reached an agreement with Ron Howard to produce a multi-part adaptation, announcing a May 2013 release date for the first instalment before balking on the ambitious project, leaving the door open for Warner Bros. to express an interest earlier this year.
