'The Dark Tower' News, Cast and Release Date: Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba Casting Confirmed

Idris Elba Matthew McConaughey Stephen King The Dark Tower The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Sony Pictures Nikolaj Arcel

By Alexis Villarias , Parent Herald Mar 02, 05:09 am

Stephen King's book series "The Dark Tower" has been in a work in progress since 2007. It seems that film production is finally on its way as King himself confirmed the casting of two A-listers: Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba.

Stephen King's fantasy saga starts with "The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger" which was published in 1982, according to Screenrant. Its film adaptation is a work in progress with influences of J.J. Abrams and Ron Howard at some point over the years. The development of "The Dark Tower" has been going on for nearly a decade, even being passed on from the hands of one film studio to the other; initially under Universal Pictures to Warner Brothers and now to Sony Pictures.

Now that "The Dark Tower" is under the helm of Nikolaj Arcel, King is confident that film production will finally take place. Nikolaj Arcel is the director of famous films like "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and "A Royal Affair." More importantly, Sony has finally agreed to include Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey in the film. Elba will take on the role of Roland "The Gunslinger" Deschain while McConaughey will portray "The Man in Black". It was the author himself who confirmed the casting via his Twitter account.

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

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) March 1, 2016

"The Dark Tower" is scheduled to be released in January 2017. The production will reportedly start seven weeks from now in South Africa as revealed by Arcel during an interview with EW.

However, many doubt if Sony would be able to make it to its timetable to meet its theatrical premiere since it's less than a year from now. So Screenrant believes that Sony may probably push it at a later time, around spring of 2017.

Let's wait for more updates on "The Dark Tower" as more information on casting and plots are expected to be revealed real soon. For now, check out this fan-made video on how the film may differ from the book: