Apparently, there is a silver lining on the horizon for the long-discussed adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower.

The Playlist is reporting that despite being shut down by Universal, the team of producer Brian Grazer, writer Akiva Goldsman, and director Ron Howard is not only still attempting to get the project off the ground, but has gotten the film’s budget cut down $45 million, going as far to say that “it’s going to get made.”

Back in September of 2010, a gigantic piece of news came along: director Ron Howard, his Imagine Entertainment partner, Brian Grazer, and writer Akiva Goldsman were developing an absolutely astonishing three–film, two–season TV series combo package based on Stephen King‘s seven–book series, The Dark Tower.

The announcement was unheard of, and Howard and his team had a deal in place with Universal Pictures and NBC Universal that would give him the freedom to film most of it together, much like Peter Jackson did with The Lord of the Rings…meaning the studio had to have the ultimate confidence in the project. The plan was for Goldsman to write the first film’s script and the first season of the TV show, with Howard directing. The first movie was to be followed by the first season of the TV series””which would fill in many of the story details and bridge the first and second movies””and then the second movie would be followed by a prequel season of the TV series before the final film hit. They even had Javier Bardem attached to star in the movies and first season of the show.

Here we have some news that’s so massive, it almost seems made up; like there’s no possible way the whole plan will come together as they want it to. In any case, if this announcement even partially plays out, it could be one of the most exciting book-to-film/TV adaptations we’ve ever seen.

It’s been announced that Universal Pictures and NBC Universal Television have closed a juggernaut of a deal that will see them backing an adaptation of Stephen King‘s seven-book series and prequel comic book, The Dark Tower, into not only a movie but a whole trilogy of films and a full TV series. Imagine Entertainment’s Ron Howard will direct and Akiva Goldsman will write the first film and first season of the series.