Idris Elba is being primed to star as the lead in the much-anticipated adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower.

According to Deadline, the actor, who gained fame with a role in The Wire, is in talks to take the role of Roland Deschain, the gunslinger who squares off against villain Walter Padick, AKA the Man in Black, who will be played by Matthew McConaughey.

Last month it was revealed that McConaughey had been offered both roles and was interested in playing the bad guy.

The big screen adaptation of King’s epic series of books has been mooted for years, but Sony appear to be going forward with not only a film but an accompanying TV series set in the same world. The first film will follow the plot of The Gunslinger, the initial book in the series, which features eight in total.

The film will be directed by Nikolaj Arcel, best known for 2012’s acclaimed drama A Royal Affair. He is also working on the screenplay.

The news follows multiple nominations for Elba at the Screen Actors Guild awards for his roles in both Beasts of No Nation and Luther. He will next be seen in British drama A Hundred Streets opposite Gemma Arterton, as a lead in Parisian action movie Bastille Day, Jon Favreau’s take on The Jungle Book and sci-fi sequel Star Trek: Beyond.