Matthew McConaughey enters talks for The Dark Tower

Having languishing in development for several years, the long-awaited adaptation of Stephen King's fantasy saga, The Dark Tower, is now one step closer to hitting the big screen. The Wrap reports that Matthew McConaughey is in preliminary talks to nab one of the leading roles: either the good guy gunslinger, Roland Deschain, or his nemesis Walter Padick, aka the Man in Black.

Sources admit that McConaughey's involvement is still in the early stages as he's only recently received a script. Adapted by Akiva Goldsman and Jeff Pinkner, the screenplay is said to take its cues from the first book in King's series, which revolves around Deschain's encounter with the Man in Black across the barren desert of Mid-World; an alternate universe similar to ours.

Apparently, McConaughey is leaning towards "embracing his dark side" and is eyeing the meatier, villainous role of Padick. A demonic sorcerer, Padick operates as a baddie throughout the novel under many other guises including that of Randall Flagg. Flagg is the main antagonist in King's other giant saga, The Stand, a role McConaughey was previously linked to last year. If he accepts a part in The Dark Tower, it's unlikely he'll continue in the other King project which is set up over at Warner Bros.

The first movie in The Dark Tower series will be directed by Nikolaj Arcei. Sony and MRC are co-financing the film - set for release on January 13, 2017 - along with its companion TV series.

Gem Seddon is GamesRadar+'s west coast Entertainment News Reporter, working to keep all of you updated on all of the latest and greatest movies and shows on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Outside of entertainment journalism, Gem can frequently be found writing about the alternative health and wellness industry, and obsessing over all things Aliens and Terminator on Twitter.