The Dark Tower's First Official Images Reveal the Gunslinger and Man in Black

As the long-awaited adaptation of Stephen King's fantasy epic The Dark Tower continues production, the first official images from the movie have been released. These come via EW, and reveal stars Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey. Check them out below:

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Elba is playing gunslinger Roland Deschain, while McConaughey's character is demonic sorcerer Walter Padick, aka The Man in Black. The movie is directed by Nikolaj Arcel, who previously helmed the Oscar-nominated A Royal Affair.

In a new interview with EW, Elba spoke about playing this much-loved character. "I was thrilled to get this job," he said. "I like to bring a little depth and bring a real character. And what's been fun is, Nik's really up for that. So we do takes that are a little bit more commercial, if you like, and we do takes that are f***ing deep, like we're making an independent film. It's an iconic character. I want to get it right."

The Dark Tower encompasses eight novels, which King published between 1982 and 2012. The books blend classic western themes with horror, sci-fi, and fantasy.

In May, the author revealed that while the first novel's famous opening lines would kick off the movie, audiences should expect a few changes. "I expect that the movie will start where the books start," he told the EW Podcast. "Y'know, 'The man in black fled across the desert, and the Gunslinger followed.' I think that nails it right in place for people. I've been pretty insistent on that, and I think everyone's onboard with it."

However, King went on to explain that from that point, the movie will deviate from the book. He stated: "It starts sort of in medias res, in the middle of the story, instead of at the beginning, which may upset some of the fans a little bit. But they will get behind it, because it is the story."

The Dark Tower arrives in theaters on February 23, 2017.