Javier Bardem Is Roland, Roland, Roland

?Keep them doggies Roland, Rawhi—

Sorry. From Deadline:

Javier Bardem is close to sealing his deal with Universal Pictures to play gunslinger Roland Deschain in The Dark Tower,
the mammoth adaptation of the Stephen King 7-novel series that’ll span
three movies and a limited run TV series in between each film. Director
Ron Howard begins production on the first film in September, and he’ll
also direct the first TV segment.
…
Bardem’s WME reps are putting the finishing touches on the deal, and
they are close enough that Howard has begun meeting with other actors to
cast the roles around Bardem. It’s a complex deal, almost
unprecedented, because it calls for Bardem to star in the feature film
and the TV component. His deal will also include options for two sequels
(the TV program that runs between the second and third films will be a
prequel).

I’m still a tad sad that Viggo the Mortensen didn’t take the job, but overall I think this is pretty great. Bardem’s got that crazy charisma that could really make this a mass audience hit, which is what it will need to be if we don’t want to end up with one semi-successful movie and a TV series canceled half-way through the first season.