Could Russell Crowe sail the ocean in Noah and then reign over Stephen King‘s The Dark Tower? If current talks come together, it’s a possibility. With the mammoth multi-platform project falling apart at Universal and getting put back together at Warner Bros., we finally have our first update in nearly half-a-year, thanks to Deadline.

They let us know that a final decision on putting the film trilogy (and two miniseries) into production will be made mid-August, thanks to a new script by Akiva Goldsman. Unfortunately  Javier Bardem has jumped ship as the lead character Roland Deschain, but director Ron Howard is already in talks with Crowe to play the western character, an actor who starred in the Oscar-winning drama A Beautiful Mind for him and fellow producer Brian Grazer.

Warner Bros. is in need of a major franchise with Harry Potter and Christopher Nolan‘s Batman trilogy ending with The Dark Knight Rises, and this The Lord of the Rings-scope tale could be the perfect fix. With HBO, who is handling the miniseries side, and their success in the fantasy world with Game of Thrones, I could see this one getting pulled off correctly. There’s a lot of story to tell in the eight-part book series and I’m glad it’s getting the necessary treatment. With Crowe also starring in WB’s Man of Steel next summer, I wouldn’t doubt if talks continue and if all goes according to plan, we’ll have an answer soon.

Do you want to see The Dark Tower push forward with Crowe?