Fans of horror writer Stephen King have been wondering for years if his magnum opus, "The Dark Tower," would ever be adapted into a movie. Though it has not only been greenlit for filming, Sony has now officially set the date for its release, according to The Wrap.

Among other film projects on Sony's plate, the first adaptation for "The Dark Tower" has been announced for a winter release date of Jan. 13, 2017. The film is expected to start a franchise for his many novels set in "The Dark Tower" universe, starting first with an adaptation of "The Gunslinger."

The first confirmation for this project came this year at Comic-Con 2015 when Sony announced they had secured a director for the film, Nikolaj Arcel. Arcel is perhaps best known for his Oscar nominated film "A Royal Affair."

The series started in 1982 when King first wrote and released 'The Gunslinger" and introduced the world to Roland Deschain. This is also the first moment that the main character would meet up with Jake Chambers, another important character in the series.

King's novels have been a driving force in Hollywood for years now. He has written more than 50 novels in his career and many of them, including short stories in his compilations books, have been adapted for film.

Some of his most famous works that have been translated on the big (and small) screen are "Carrie," "'Salems Lot," "The Shining," "The Dead Zone," "Firestarter," "Cujo," "Cycle of the Werewolf" ("Silver Bullet"), "It" and "The Shawshank Redemption."

Now that "The Dark Tower" series has been picked up for a film, fans could expect at least eight more films. That doesn't include the upcoming remakes of "It" and "Pet Sematary."