Now that he’s got mouths to feed, Javier Bardem is taking the high concept trilogy avenue!
Deadline has it that Bardem is very close to signing a deal to play Roland Deschain, badass extraordinaire, in Ron Howard’s THE DARK TOWER. As you know, the three-part film series is based on the seven-book series by Stephen King. In addition to the three feature films, a limited run TV series will play in between each release.
Akiva Goldsman has penned scripts for both the first film and TV installment, both to be directed by Ron Howard. Production is slated to begin this September, with Howard’s longtime partner Brian Grazer overseeing production.
Anyone who’s seen Bardem in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN knows he has what it takes to believably pull off a badass of such proportions, and although he won’t be rockin’ a silenced shotgun this time around, Deschain is most definitely a hardened gunslinger.
Per a wiki entry, here’s a series overview:
In the story, Roland Deschain is the last living member of a knightly order known as gunslingers and the last of the line of “Arthur Eld”, his world’s analogue of King Arthur. Politically organized along the lines of a feudal society, it shares technological and social characteristics with the American Old West but is also magical. Many of the magical aspects have vanished from Mid-World, but traces remain as do relics from a technologically advanced society. Roland’s quest is to find the Dark Tower, a fabled building said to be the nexus of all universes. Roland’s world is said to have “moved on”, and it appears to be coming apart at the seams. 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. Sometimes, even the sun rises in the north and sets in the east. As the series opens, Roland’s motives, goals and age are unclear, though later installments shed light on these mysteries.
Sounds solid, right? I for one I’m pumped, albeit a little shocked, to see Bardem accept the role. However, with King’s source material and Howard’s mastery behind the camera, we should all feel safe that such big-budgeted mainstream flicks will turn out a damn sight better than alright. You dig?
Bardem’s wifey, Penelope Cruz!
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