A huge deal is in the making between Stephen King, Imagine Entertainment, and Weed Road to create a big screen trilogy and television series from King’s The Dark Tower book series.  Akiva Goldsman will pen the script, Ron Howard will direct it, and Brian Grazer (along with Goldsman and King) will produce it.

It looks like Mr. King has been a very busy man.

According to Deadline.com, “Universal is in talks to acquire a package that included the books, and the attachment of the team behind the Oscar-winning film A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vinci Code. Both Universal –where Imagine is based—and Warner Bros—where Goldsman’s Weed Road banner is housed—have been vying for the project.”

The Dark Tower series was Stephen King’s answer to J.R.R.

Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.  Also set in a mythical land (but with more of an “Old West with magic” feel), King’s series follows the wanderings of Roland Deschain, the last living member of a knightly order of gunslingers. His quest is to find the Dark Tower, which holds the key to the nexus of all universes.  Along the way, Roland makes friends and enemies as he watches his world die.  So far there are seven books in the series with reports of King writing an eighth.

The series was once developed by J.J. Abrams along with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, but it never came to fruition.  We’ll see if this ever goes through!