Javier Bardem or Viggo Mortensen as Roland Deschain in Dark Tower?

Ron Howard’s huge film and television adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower saga has gotten attention from just about everyone in Hollywood who would love to have their name associated with the project.

The main prize up for grabs is the role of Roland Deschain, the Gunslinger himself. While a few names have been tossed around, Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) and Viggo Mortensen (Lord of the Rings trilogy) are at the top of the list and there’s still no sign of which one might actually land the part.

The Dark Tower is a huge series and it will take three movies and two seasons on TV to tell the whole story. According to The New York Post, the saga starts with a movie and then continues the story on TV. At that point, the action returns to the big screen with a younger Roland then appearing in a second season of the television series. Finally, things wrap up in the third movie with an older Roland Deschain. Find out what Ron Howard thinks about the project.

I have nothing against Bardem but I hope Mortensen, who happens to be a fan favorite for the role, gets the part. Stephen King has always said he modeled the Gunslinger after Clint Eastwood’s ‘cowboy with no name’ from the old spaghetti westerns and Mortensen seems like he would be the perfect fit for that role.