Story highlights Stephen King tweets to stars of "Dark Tower"

Movie has been long in development

(CNN) After years of speculation and false starts, author Stephen King has signaled that the big screen adaptation of his fantasy series "The Dark Tower" had finally found its leading men.

His reveal came in a familiar form for fans of the series, which launched with 1982's "The Dark Tower"; the tweet quoted the first line of that first book, referencing the novel's antagonist Randall Flagg (the man in black) and hero, Roland Deschain, the gunslinger in question.

Matthew McConaughey's name has long been linked to "The Dark Tower."

Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey then responded to King's tweet, confirming their roles in the process.

It's official: The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed. #DarkTowerMovie @McConaughey @IdrisElba — Stephen King (@StephenKing) March 1, 2016

Both Elba and McConaughey have been mentioned for the project for some months. The film will be directed by Nikolaj Arcel and produced by Akiva Goldsman, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Erica Huggins.

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