The Dark Tower is a film.
The Dark Tower is an upcoming American science fantasy western action horror film directed and co-written by Nikolaj Arcel . A continuation of Stephen King 's novel series of the same name , the film stars Idris Elba as Roland Deschain , a gunslinger on a quest to protect the Dark Tower -- a mythical structure which supports all realities -- and Matthew McConaughey as his nemesis , Walter Padick . Intended to launch a film and television franchise , the first installment combines elements from several novels in the eight-volume series , taking place partly in modern-day New York City and partly in Mid-World , Roland 's Old West-style parallel universe . Additionally , King has tweeted a photo of the Horn of Eld with the caption `` Last Time Around '' , which relates to the ending of the final book , The Dark Tower VII ; Arcel has said that fans will know the movie is a sequel to the books ' events . The film is set to be released on August 4 , 2017 in 3D and 2D by Columbia Pictures .