With Universal’s growing wariness of ambitious geek-oriented projects, plenty of rumor has buzzed about the livelihood of the planned multi-part adaptation of Stephen King’s THE DARK TOWER series, but Ron Howard has updated the world on its prospects.

Speaking to EW about the latest talk, that the project’s start date has been pushed to January 2012, Howard says it’s looking more like next spring. “We had to pull back to our September start date due to budget delays and ongoing story development and logistical issues, but DARK TOWER is moving forward. We’re thinking of starting in early spring now. I can’t really say who’ll be in it yet, but Javier Bardem has shown a great deal of interest. We’ll know by the end of the summer, when our flashing green light goes solid. “

Discussing the proposed television series in between film, Howard says, “There are elements of the DARK TOWER saga that are more personal and can be best dealt with on television. TV allows you to roll out details of the characters in a more methodical way.”

The series, of course, sees Roland, the last of the gunslingers in All-World embark on a journey to the Dark Tower to fix a world that has “moved on.”

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