The Dark Tower: Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey to star in Stephen King film adaptation

'It’s been a looong trip from the books to the film'

(Getty)

After years of remaining in production limbo, Stephen King’s The Dark Tower looks set to finally make it onto the big screen, with the two leads having now been secured.

The author himself Tweeted out how Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba are now attached to the project, the Beasts of No Nation set to play lead Roland Deschain. McConaughey meanwhile will play the villainous Man in Black.

It will follow the plot of the first novel in the series, The Gunslinger, with hopes of creating numerous sequels as there are currently eight novels.

The Dark Tower’s troubled production began in 2008, when JJ Abrams was supposedly interested in directing the film, yet he dropped out just months later.

Then, in 2010, Ron Howard was in line to direct. However, after just a few months the project was cancelled, that is until early 2015 when Sony announced they would be fast-tracking the film series with Nikolaj Arcel taking the helm.

Liam Neeson and Aaron Paul, both of whom had expressed interest in the role during Howard’s tenure, were frontrunners, but now Elba has taken the coveted role.

“The thing is, it’s been a looong trip from the books to the film,” King told Entertainment Weekly. “When you think about it, I started these stories as a senior in college, sitting in a little sh*tty 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.”