Actor Will Appear In Both The Film & TV Branches Of The Mega-Franchise
With a new kid now fresh in the world, it looks like Papa Bardem and Mama Cruz are going back out into the world to make some cash for their little tyke. Cruz booked another sojourn with Woody Allen earlier today, planning to star in his forthcoming Rome-set film, while Bardem is sealing the deal on a major franchise that will easily bring in the kind of bucks that should pay for junior’s college tuition in 2031.
Long rumored, Bardem will be spending a healthy chunk of time in “The Dark Tower,” Universal‘s mega-blockbuster based on the book series by Stephen King. About a month ago, producer Brian Grazer and his hair said on the Oscar red carpet that Bardem was “locked in psychologically” for the role which now seems to have turned into an actual contract according to Deadline. But this ain’t no ordinary franchise gig.
The Akiva Goldsman-penned and Ron Howard-directed project is a big commitment as Stephen King‘s tale will be spread out across three films and a television series to pack in the full story. And as such, Bardem’s deal covers the the first film (with options for the next two) as well as the TV program that will run between the second and third films as a prequel. This is pretty much unprecedented and a huge investment/gamble for Universal, but it should also draw a huge amount of interest and attention.
We suppose this means it’s likely that Bardem won’t be taking on the villain role he was offered in the next installment of the James Bond franchise which, according to fansite MI6, is eyeing a South African shoot later this year. But with the first ‘Dark Tower’ film not due into theaters until 2013, perhaps he’ll find time in his calendar for both.
