Matthew McConaughey In Talks To Play Gunslinger Roland Deschain in THE DARK TOWER

Update: The Wrap's initial report stated McConaughey was being eyed to play gunslinger Roland Deschain, but they've since updated their report to say that the actor has been offered both that role and the role of the villainous Man in Black. The AV Club has a good breakdown of what that might mean and how McConaughey could conceivably be the villain in a Stephen King shared cinematic universe with this and The Stand. Original article follows.

Oscar winner and True Detective star Matthew McConaughey has been rumored to play the villain in the upcoming film adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand, but now it appears he might be playing the hero in a different King story altogether: the long-delayed and highly-anticipated adaptation of The Dark Tower.

The Wrap reports that McConaughey has had early conversations with the filmmakers, but a deal isn't in place yet. If an offer is made and the deal goes through, the actor will play gunslinger Roland Deschain, a part variously linked to actors like Javier Bardem, Russell Crowe, Christian Bale over the years. Here's the official synopsis of the first book in the series:

The Man in Black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed. So begins Book I of Stephen King’s iconic fantasy series, The Dark Tower. Part sci-fi novel, part futuristic dystopia, part spaghetti Western, and part high fantasy vision, The Gunslinger tells the story of Roland Deschain, Mid-World’s last gunslinger, who is tracking an enigmatic magician known only as the man in black. Following his quarry across the demon-infested Mohaine Desert, Roland confronts a mad preacher woman and her murderous flock, holds palaver with a speaking demon, and finally befriends a young boy from our world named Jake Chambers. Jake joins Roland on his quest, but while Roland travels with his young companion Jake, the man in black travels with Roland’s soul in his pocket.

Nikolaj Arcel is writing and directing the movie, which is said to kick off an ambitious franchise that includes multiple films and a TV series that will bridge the gap between movies. There's no word yet if the TV show would involve Deschain or if it would concentrate on other characters in The Dark Tower lore, so it's unclear whether securing this role would mean a return to TV for McConaughey as well...if he even takes the part. The Wrap says it's unlikely that he'd star in both this and The Stand, and they speculate that a role in that film a little farther down the line might mean that he ends up passing on The Dark Tower. (Plus, Christopher Nolan will be shooting his next movie in 2016 for a 2017 release, and he's known to work with the same actors over and over again, so it's possible McConaughey could join that project instead.)

Either way, it looks like we might see McConaughey in a Stephen King adaptation sometime in the next few years. Do you think he's a better fit for The Dark Tower or The Stand?