McConaughey and Elba Starring In Stephen King's Dark Tower

The Dark Tower has been one of those films which has been stuck in development hell, but things took a giant leap forward when Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba were officially attached to play the leading roles.

The news was confirmed by the author himself, Stephen King via his Twitter feed. The news shouldn’t come as a surprise as it was reported last year, McConaughey was given the choice of either leading roles. It looks like the Oscar winner has chosen the darker, mysterious role of ‘man in black’. Elba was then desired for the role of gunslinger Roland Deschain.

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

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) 1 March 2016

The film will be directed by Nikolaj Arcel (A Royal Affair), but the project did previously have J. J. Abrams and then Ron Howard in the director's chair, Howard is still attached as a producer.

The adaptation of the book, which can be described as a dark Western fantasy, has been in different stages of development for the past 10 years.

Sony will be hoping turn this eight book series into a franchise and King talked to Entertainment Weekly about his excitement for the project.

“When you think about it, I started these stories as a senior in college, sitting in a little shitty cabin beside the river in Maine, and finally this thing is actually in pre-production now. I’m delighted, and I’m a little bit surprised.”

I haven’t read The Dark Tower, or any of King’s books for that matter, but a Western starting McConaughey and Elba. I’m in.