Oscar winner Russell Crowe may replace Javier Bardem as gunslinger Roland Deschain in the long awaited adaptation of “The Dark Tower.”  Universal Pictures has dropped out. Now, Warner Bros. is apparently examining the idea. It’s not a done deal by any means. First, Warner Bros. has solicited a script rewrite from Academy Award winning writer Akiva Goldsman (“A Beautiful Mind,” “Lost in Space”) on the first installment in the series.

That plan would incorporate three movies and two limited series. The first television series would air between the first and second movies, with the second television series airing after the third movie.

The studio is expected to make a decision within the next two weeks on whether to green-light the first entry in this ambitious adaptation of the Stephen King fantasy/western literature series.

The plot of the eight book Stephen King series is described as follows:

“In the story, Roland Deschain is the last living member of a knightly order known as gunslingers and the last of the line of ‘Arthur Eld,’ his world’s analogue of King Arthur. Politically organized along the lines of a feudal society, it shares technological and social characteristics with the American Old West but is also magical. Many of the magical aspects have vanished from Mid-World, but traces remain as do relics from a technologically advanced society.

“Roland’s quest is to find The Dark Tower, a fabled building said to be the nexus of all universes. Roland’s world is said to have “moved on”, and it appears to be coming apart at the seams. Mighty nations have been torn apart by war, entire cities and regions vanish without a trace and time does not flow in an orderly fashion. Sometimes, even the sun rises in the north and sets in the east. As the series opens, Roland’s motives, goals and age are unclear, though later installments shed light on these mysteries.”

Sources: Examiner.com, IGN