After several false stars, it looks like a big screen adaptation of Stephen King‘s The Dark Tower series is finally becoming a reality. There’s some new casting on the project today, courtesy of Deadline, which reports that Mad Max: Fury Road star Abbey Lee has entered talks to play the role of Tirana opposite Idris Elba as Roland Deschain (The Gunslinger) and Matthew McConaughey as Randall Flag (The Man in Black).
Although the outlet notes that Tirana is the film’s female lead, the news may come as a surprise to fans of the books. The only Tirana that appears in the series of novels plays a relatively small role in the series’ seventh book.
Director Nikolaj Arcel, who co-wrote the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and directed the Academy Award-nominated A Royal Affair, is set to helm the big screen adaptation, set up through Sony Pictures and MRC. Academy Award winner Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind) and Jeff Pinkner (The Amazing Spider-Man 2) have written the screenplay, which is said to be based primarily on the first book in the seven-volume series. There’s also a tie-in television series in development simultaneously.
Ron Howard was initially planning to direct the first film in the series. He is now involved in producing the series through his Imagine Entertainment alongside Brian Grazer and Erica Huggins. Goldsman is also producing through Weed Road with Pinkner set to serve as executive producer.
The Dark Tower is currently set for release on January 13, 2017.
Abbey Lee can soon be seen on the big screen as part of the cast of Alex Proyas’ Gods of Egypt, hitting theaters February 26.
