Back in January, it was reported that actor Javier Bardem had been offered the lead role in Ron Howardâs ambitious three film/TV series adaptation of Stephen Kingâs The Dark Tower. While not much was heard after that, Howardâs producing partner Brian Grazer recently offered an update on Bardemâs involvement:
âJavier Bardem, that's what we're hoping. We're in the process of trying to put that together. He's locked in psychologically. He really wants to do it, so we're absolutely rooting for him to do it."
So it looks like Bardemâs keen to take the role on, and heâs currently in the negotiating phase. This could take a while, given that if he signs on it will likely be for three films and one âseasonâ of the TV series. The adaptation is being spread out over three feature films, with two TV âseasonsâ bridging the gap between each film. In the interview with MTV, Grazer also revealed that the first story theyâre exploring is The Gunslinger, which is the first book in Kingâs Dark Tower series. Hit the jump for more on The Dark Tower.
Ron Howard is signed on to direct the first film of The Dark Tower series, with presumably an option to return for the following two films if he wishes to do so. Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind) is writing the script for all three films as well as the two âseasonsâ of the TV series.
Following the first Dark Tower film, the story will continue on television for a string of episodes that will serve as a prequel, showing the lead character of Deschain as a young man. The second film will pick up where the first leaves off, with the story continuing in the next âseasonâ of the television series, then concluding with the third and final film. If Bardem signs on, it will be for all three films and the second, non-prequel âseasonâ of the TV series.
The project is one of the more ambitious in film history, and will require a massive time commitment from its cast. Itâs understandable that Bardem is taking his time in negotiations, making sure heâs free to work on other projects in between (how much heâll be paid is also presumably a big sticking point). Goldman is currently working on the script, so hopefully Howard can sign Bardem and then round out the rest of his cast rather quickly in order to get production going later this year.
Hereâs the synopsis for The Dark Tower by Steven King:
In the story, Roland Deschain is the last living member of a knightly order known as gunslingers and the last of the line of âArthur Eldâ, his worldâs analogue of King Arthur. The world he lives in is quite different from our own, yet it bears striking similarities to it. Politically organized along the lines of a feudal society, it shares technological and social characteristics with the American Old West but is also magical. While the magical aspects are largely gone from Mid-World, some vestiges of them remain, along with the relics of a highly advanced, but long vanished, society. Rolandâs quest is to find the Dark Tower, a fabled building said to be the nexus of all universes. Rolandâs world is said to have âmoved onâ, and indeed it appears to be coming apart at the seams as mighty nations have been torn apart by war, entire cities and regions vanish without a trace and time does not flow in an orderly fashion. Even the Sun sometimes rises in the north and sets in the east. As the series opens, Rolandâs motives, goals and age are unclear, though later installments shed light on these mysteries. [Wikipedia]