Originally, Javier Bardem was going to be cast as Roland Deschain, but now, Russell Crowe seems to be the playing the gunslinger. Casting is still up in the air however, and no concrete plans have been made yet.
The story focuses on the last living man of an order of gunslingers who finds himself responsible for saving civilization on his journey to the Dark Tower.
The film would benefit from having Crowe sign on, and possibly push it to get greenlit. Universal had dropped out of this project's development and Warner Bros. stepped in to try to get things rolling. Not only with a film, but with a possibly television series as well. They are said to be looking to HBO for help in that arena.