Idris Elba may never be James Bond, but that’s ok. In the upcoming film adaptation of Stephen King’s popular series, The Dark Tower, the British actor gets to channel his inner badass and bring the Gunslinger to life.

Elba fans, myself included, have been waiting for this moment since it was announced he would take on the role last year.

Though The Gunslinger was originally written as a White character in the books–something some fans of the series angrily pointed out after Elba was picked–King is a fan of the actor and loved the choice.

“For me the character is still the character. It’s almost a Sergio Leone character, like ‘the man with no name,’” he told EW last year.  “He can be White or Black, it makes no difference to me. I think it opens all kind of exciting possibilities for the backstory.”

In an interview with Complex, Elba said he signed onto the role because he was attracted to King’s complicated characters.

“I was excited to sign on for the role because he does create complex, well-rounded characters with a lot of depth—and Roland Deschain in particular is a character that has a massive, massive journey throughout the book series,” Elba said. “Whether you have read the books or not, you are going into a rich, well-thought-out world, where you will meet incredible characters.”

For those who aren’t up on the novels, The Dark Tower follows a pair of rivals, Roland Deschain, known as the last Gunslinger, and Walter O’Dim, known as the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey), who share an ancient vendetta and must fight to the death in an epic battle over the fate of the Dark Tower, which holds the universe together. With the fate of the worlds at stake, good and evil will collide in the ultimate battle as only Roland can defend the Tower from the Man in Black.

Sounds intense! Check out the exciting first trailer below:

The Dark Tower hits theaters nationwide on August 4.