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There are plenty of reasons to be excited for Ron Howard's planned "The Dark Tower" adaptation, and now here's another one to add to the pile. "Heroes," "Battlestar Galactica" and "Falling Skies" writer/producer Mark Verheiden has been tapped to co-write and produce the planned NBC TV series segment of "Dark Tower" along with producer Akiva Goldsman.

First, here's what we know. Javier Bardem has been chosen from a pool of hopefuls to play the Gunslinger, with names like Naomi Harris rumored for other roles. Ron Howard will be directing the initial "Dark Tower" film and the first season of the television series, with the director of the later movies and seasons to be determined at a later date. Goldsman will write both the first film and the series, and now Deadline has the news that Verheiden is co-writing the series, with Stephen King and Brian Grazer along as producers as well. Sounds like a solid enough plan to us!

But who is Verheiden? What makes him a smart choice for "The Dark Tower"?

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Tags akiva goldsman, dark tower, Mark Verheiden, The Dark Tower

So much for the actor playing Roland Deschain in "The Dark Tower" adaptation being released last week. When MTV caught up with producer Brian Grazer after the Golden Globes, he said we would hear some casting announcements "within a week." But "within a week" has come and gone, and we still only have rumors.

Today, two different movie news sites announced two different actors being in the lead for the role, and interestingly enough, neither of them is fan-favorite Viggo Mortensen. Deadline got the exclusive that Javier Bardem, who was already rumored for the role, is the front-runner for the Gunslinger, while New York Post says the role is Christian Bale's to lose.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact both of these actors are current Oscar nominees, but it sounds like whichever man is chosen for the role will be a good selection.

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Tags brian grazer, christian bale, dark tower, Ghita Tazi, Javier Bardem, Jennifer Carpenter, ron howard, The Dark Tower

The tentative release date for the first "Dark Tower" film is still three years away, but potential director Ron Howard can't get Stephen King's beloved fantasy series out of his head.

"I really can't stop thinking about it," Howard told the Los Angeles Times. "We've been meeting and talking and I've been reading and researching and just kind of living with it... We're finding the shape of it. We're moving quickly now, as quickly as we can, and I feel challenged in the most exciting ways." Read more...

Tags daniel craig, dark tower, hugh jackman, Jon Hamm, ron howard, Stephen King, Viggo Mortensen

Major "Dark Tower" news - after months of rumors, deliberation, negotiation, etc. Deadline reports that Universal Pictures and NBC Universal Television have made a deal to adapt Stephen King's beloved sci-fi/fantasy behemoth "The Dark Tower" into both a feature film trilogy and a network TV series.

Ron Howard will direct the initial movie and season one of the TV series. Both will be written by Akiva Goldsman, who will also produce with King and Howard's Imagine Entertainment production partner Brian Grazer.

Howard told Deadline that their ambitious undertaking was inspired by Peter Jackson's history-making approach to the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy:

“What Peter did was a feat, cinematic history,” Howard said. “The approach we’re taking also stands on its own, but it’s driven by the material. I love both, and like what’s going on in TV. With this story, if you dedicated to one medium or another, there’s the horrible risk of cheating material. The scope and scale call for a big screen budget. But if you committed only to films, you’d deny the audience the intimacy and nuance of some of these characters and a lot of cool twists and turns that make for jaw-dropping, compelling television. We’ve put some real time and deep thought into this, and a lot of conversations and analysis from a business standpoint, to get people to believe in this and take this leap with us. I hope audiences respond to it in a way that compels us to keep going after the first year or two of work. It’s fresh territory for me, as a filmmaker.”

What do you think of Howard's plan? Would you rather see only feature film adaptations or the TV series or both?

Tags dark tower, ron howard, Stephen King

It coulda been great! J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof — two of the key dudes behind "Lost" — were set to adapt Stephen King's sci-fi/fantasy opus, "The Dark Tower," for the big screen.

Such a seamless fit between material and filmmakers — it coulda be great, but it ain't gonna happen, as Abrams himself told MTV News' Josh Horowitz recently. "The 'Dark Tower' thing is tricky," he said. "It's such an important piece of writing. The truth is that Damon and I are not looking at that right now." Read more...

Tags damon lindelof, dark tower, jj abrams

As "Star Trek" makes its case for the new J.J. Abrams age of the franchise this weekend, he and fellow "Lost" creator Damon Lindelof continue to have early discussions about Stephen King's cult series of books "The Dark Tower." Lindelof confirmed Abrams' assertion that "Lost" is priority number one at the moment, but said the project would require at least as much care as Zack Snyder's adaptation of "Watchmen."

"Having seen Zack go through what he went through on 'Watchmen' in terms of saying of where can I digress from the material I just get headaches thinking about changing anything," Lindelof told MTV News. "It was the defining literary tale of my young adulthood into adulthood." Read more...

Tags damon lindelof, dark tower, jj abrams, lost, Stephen King

Just as there are whispers in the jungles of "Lost," there have likewise been whispers in Hollywood that J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof -- two of the masterminds behind the ABC television series -- have been working on an adaptation of Stephen King's classic novel series "The Dark Tower." Now, those whispers are getting louder and clearer.

"Damon Lindelof and I talked to Mr. King," Abrams told IGN while promoting the upcoming "Star Trek" film. "We got the rights for ['Dark Tower'] as a film. Damon is obviously still on 'Lost' and we've been working on 'Star Trek' together. As soon as 'Lost' is done, hopefully we'll begin tackling that." Read more...

Tags damon lindelof, dark tower, jj abrams, lost, star trek

- “Zack and Miri” make a red-band trailer. Craig Robinson makes me chuckle. (Rotten Tomatoes -- NSFW)

- Break out the loincloths. Steven Sommers takes over from Guillermo del Toro, swings over to “Tarzan.” (Hollywood Elsewhere)

- Cowabunga? “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” to make a live-action big-screen comeback, confirms co-creator. (Superhero Hype)

- Producer Damon Lindelof briefly talks “Dark Tower,” indicates he’d like to make a seven film series. (AMC)

- A budding feud between Paramount and “Benjamin Button” director David Fincher developing over running time.(Slashfilm)

Tags damon lindelof, dark tower, david fincher, elizabeth banks, seth rogen, steven sommers, tarzan, teenage mutant ninja turtles, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Zack and Miri Make a Porno