It’s been a while since we’ve heard about an actor being up for a role in The Dark Tower, the long in development adaptation of author Stephen King‘s popular book series. Previous names attached to the adaptation have included Russell Crowe and Javier Bardem.

Both of those actors previously won an Academy Award, Crowe for 2000’s Gladiator and Bardem for 2007’s No Country for Old Men. Now comes word of a new actor who might star in the adaptation, and he’s also got an Oscar. It’s being reported that Matthew McConaughey, who recently won the Best Actor award for his work in Dallas Buyers Club, has entered into early talks for a role in The Dark Tower. But unlike Crowe and Bardem, who were up for the lead role of Roland Deschain, McConaughey is looking to play the film’s villain, a certain man in black.

Though the actor is in early talks, official negotiations haven’t begun. McConaughey met with A Royal Affair director and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo writer Nikolaj Arcel, the latest director to be attached to the project, a little over a week ago and expressed interest in the role.

The adaptation has traveled a long road, with various studios attempting to bring the ambitious adaptation to life. The latest studio is Sony, who we found out in April was putting the project on the fast track and who hopes it will become a new global franchise.

The Man in Black, also known as Randall Flagg and many others names, is a villain that has appeared in many of King’s works, including those outside of his “Dark Tower” series. One of these works is The Stand, which has been adapted into a miniseries in the past and has also had a new adaptation being developed for a while now. One actor who was previously being pursued to play the role of Flagg in that movie? You guessed it, Matthew McConaughey.

Just recently we found out that McConaughey had turned down an offer to play a villain in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Whether or not he said no to that because he’s interested in starring as the Man in Black in this is unclear, but it would make sense.

The Dark Tower is currently scheduled for a January 13, 2017 release.

[Source: Heat Vision]