Scratch Christian Bale for the moment.  It’s Javier Bardem who has been offered Roland Deschain’s guns, according to Deadline Hollywood Daily.

Bardem has not accepted the role (we have to stress that), but DHD says “there’s a high level of enthusiasm that they’ve got their cowboy.” So unless things really break down in negotiations, it’s likely to be Bardem.

Well, they did say we’d know within the week.  One point to Universal!

I’m disappointed it wasn’t Viggo Mortensen, but I like Bardem a lot.  I have no doubt he’ll be a fantastic Roland, even if he’s never, ever who I saw as the gunslinger,but perhaps that’s best.  It helps define the book and the film/tv series as it’s own thing.  It’s going to be pretty exciting to see Bardem in a sweeping genre epic as opposed to his usual dramatic and stern stuff.