The Dark Tower Also Getting TV Show, Alongside Movie

Stephen King's classic fantasy epic The Dark Tower isn't just heading to the big screen, it is also to become a TV show. The movie is due out next year, and it has now been announced that a Dark Tower series is on the way too.

As reported by Entertainment Weekly, producers Sony have committed to a full 10-13 episode run of a Dark Tower show. It will be an adaptation of 1997's Wizard and Glass, the fourth book in King's epic series.

Idris Elba, who is starring in the movie, has signed on to the show, alongside his 15-year-old co-star Tom Taylor. The pair will form part of a framing device for the central story, which is set many years before the events of the film. It is set to start shooting in 2017 for an intended 2018 broadcast, although EW states that a distributor is yet to be found.

The film is set for release on February 23, 2017. Elba stars as gunslinger Roland Deschain, while Matthew McConaughey is playing demonic sorcerer Walter Padick, aka The Man in Black. The movie is directed by Nikolaj Arcel, who previously helmed the Oscar-nominated A Royal Affair. The first official images were release in July, and a trailer is expected soon.

The Dark Tower encompasses eight novels, which King published between 1982 and 2012. The books blend classic western themes with horror, sci-fi, and fantasy.