Has Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul signed on as The Dark Tower’s Eddie Dean?

Sony’s adaptation of Stephen King’s magnum opus ‘The Dark Tower’ is really picking up speed. Just a week after the author officially confirmed the movie had found its Roland Deschain and Rick Flagg in Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, a new reports suggests that Breaking Bad actor Aaron Paul may have been cast as Eddie Dean.

A new report from Blastr (via Squareeyed) — which, due to the lack of concrete sources and details, we’re taking with a huge pinch of salt — claims Paul has been cast in the long-gestating adaptation, now to be directed by Nikolaj Arcel. Paul is famous for playing tearaway crystal meth dealer Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad opposite Bryan Cranston.

With that performance under his belt, we know Paul can handle a complex and challenging role. The actor himself actually declared it a huge dream of his to one day portray Eddie Dean.

There is perhaps a question mark over how Eddie will be introduced in the film, considering that he doesn’t actually appear until the second book of King’s series, The Drawing of the Three. There has been rumours that the first film will cover more than just the series’ first story,The Gunslinger, and will actually start in the middle of the story, with Roland’s ka-tet fully formed.

However, King recently revealed that the first line of the movie would be: “The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.” That, of course, is the first line from The Gunslinger, when Roland is on the hunt for Walter O’Dim.

The first Dark Tower movie is slated for release on January 13, 2017.

We know Paul has coveted the role for a while now:

“@ThomasStratman: @aaronpaul_8 if theres a Dark Tower movie you gotta promise me you’ll play eddie dean” Trust me. HUGE dream of mine.

— Aaron Paul (@aaronpaul_8) October 11, 2012