Javier Bardem officially signs deal to play Roland Deschain

Javier Bardem has officially signed an epic deal to star in the movie and TV adaptations of Stephen King's "Dark Tower" book series. The Oscar-winning actor will play Roland Deschain in the eagerly awaited Ron Howard and Brian Grazer adaptation of King's beloved seven-novel saga. It's a momentous deal because each of the three movies in the series is to be followed by a TV miniseries. A well-placed source confirmed to Page Six, "Bardem has signed on to the first movie and the miniseries, but the intention is that he will star in all three movies and each of the TV series. It's an enormous deal for any actor, but Bardem was always the first choice." The story follows "Gunslinger" Deschain as he travels through an Old West-like landscape in search of the mythical Dark Tower to save civilization. The first movie is expected to go into production in September with Howard directing.

Steven King's Dark Tower saga  to be directed in two versions of the book; One will be a mini series filmed for TV in 2012, and the other will be a major motion picture with a release set for 2013.