It was all the way back in January that we first heard an offer was out to Javier Bardem to star in Ron Howard's adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower. Since then, with the exception of a story that came out early last month that said the Oscar winner was "locked in psychologically," we've heard absolutely nothing about his involvement. Today that changes.

Deadline is reporting that Bardem is now on the verge of closing negotiations and signing on to star in The Dark Tower. Once he signs on the dotted line, he will be locked in to play Roland Deschain not just in one film, but an entire trilogy as well as a television series that will bridge the gaps between each movie. Production is scheduled to begin this September, based on a script by Akiva Goldsman, who has already written both the first film and the first run of the small screen series. According to the story, things are looking sealed to the point that Howard has already begun looking for actors to play other roles in the series.

Just based on the comments I've read on this site, people really don't seem happy about this casting decision. The thing that I'm left wondering about is if this means he won't be available to play the villain in Bond 23. That would just compound the bad news. I'm just disappointed I'm not writing this article about Timothy Olyphant.