After several false starts, it looks as though Stephen King’s The Dark Tower is finally headed toward adaptation, Deadline reports, under a deal at Universal that will most likely include a trilogy of films as well as a TV series. Self-described as his “magnum opus,” King’s The Dark Tower so far spans seven novels (he’s currently at work on an eighth), a Marvel comic series, an online game, and a sprawling alternate universe of locales and characters that factors into many of his other stories, so trying to untangle it all with any sort of linear adaptation is a massive undertaking that only the bravest of the brave have even considered. You may recall that a few years ago, Lost heads J.J. Abrams, Carlton Cuse, and Damon Lindelof optioned the rights for a thematically significant $19, but in late 2009 each of them balked in turn at the idea of taking on something so complex—and beloved—so soon after wrapping their equally mythology-heavy show.

Now it appears that a creative team involving Ron Howard and Akiva Goldsman—who have previously worked together on The Da Vinci Code, Angels And Demons, Cinderella Man, and A Beautiful Mind—will be taking a run at it, with Howard once again directing from Goldsman’s script. It’s an understatement to say that Goldsman’s not exactly a favored candidate among genre fans; films like Lost In Space, I Am Legend, I Robot, Batman Forever, and Batman And Robin have pretty much secured his reputation as a painter who uses nothing but big, gloppy, broad strokes. On the other hand, Goldsman seems to be the sole driving force behind this deal when no one else even had the courage, so perhaps his passion for the project will force him to create his own redeeming "magnum opus." Looks like we'll find out soon enough.