Beginning in 2007, Stephen King’s western saga, The Dark Tower, failed to get a film adaptation despite numerous attempts, even with directors such as J.J. Abrams and Ron Howard.

At last, we have a final concept before us, as well as a cast and a director, and The Dark Tower is about to get a film adaptation. Nikolaj Arcel has been chosen to shoulder the directorial chores for the movie, and filming will start in seven weeks in South Africa.

The cast has been chosen, too. It’s official that Idris Elba will portray the gunslinger and Matthew McConaughey will play the role of the Man in Black, a man covered in mystery.

Stephen King himself announced on Twitter:

It's official: The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed. #DarkTowerMovie @McConaughey @IdrisElba

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) March 1, 2016

Idris Elba and McConaughey have reacted on Twitter, as well.

.@McConaughey you have one new follower. #DarkTowerMovie https://t.co/5fSKF02C7I

— Idris Elba (@idriselba) March 1, 2016

.@idriselba come and get me, I look forward to it. #DarkTowerMovie https://t.co/4gxqm2GPo3

— Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) March 1, 2016

Exciting, isn’t it?

The film will be a mix of events from the eight-book series, The Dark Tower.

Stephen King started writing the eight-book series in 1982, but we have no information about which books will be sourced for the movie.

For now, Arcel has spoken about the villain and the hero. As he put it, casting Elba as Roland (the gunslinger) was a “no brainer.” A fan of Elba since The Wire, Arcel confessed:

For me, it just clicked. He's such a formidable man. I had to go to Idris and tell him my vision for the entire journey with Roland and the Ka-tet. We discussed, who is this character? What's he about? What's his quest? What's his psychology? We tried to figure out if we saw the same guy. And we absolutely had all the same ideas and thoughts. He had a unique vision for who Roland would be.

The author is also delighted to have Elba play the gunslinger.

"I love it. I think he's a terrific actor, one of the best working in the business now,"  Stephen King said.

As for the role of the Man in Black, also known as Walter Padick, Arcel is delighted to have the Dallas Buyers Club Oscar-winner portraying him.

"Matthew is an incredible actor who can do anything. That's how I feel about Walter Padick. He could do anything," the director said.

What do you think about this upcoming western film?

Source: Entertainment Weekly