The man in black fled across the desert and started filming in Cape Town

The big screen adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower has started filming in Cape Town. Yes, our very own coastal city of wineries is playing host to one of the greatest stories in literature (according to this writer).

This comes after the series spent years in production hell and in various forms as well.

As first reported on Channel24, actress Kathryn Winnick, who stars in an unknown role in the movie, has been posting some scenes of Cape Town to her Instagram profile.

Shooting underway for #DarkTower. Shhh..character still under wraps 😉#StephenKing #IdrisElba #matthewmcconaughey #CapeTown #SouthAfrica

A photo posted by Katheryn Winnick (@katherynwinnick) on May 4, 2016 at 7:37am PDT

The film will star Idris Elba as series protagonist Roland Deschain, along with Matthew McConaughey starring as the Man in Black.

For those looking to get into Stephen King’s magnum opus Dark Tower series, here are the novels you should be reading:

• The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
• The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
• The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
• The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
• The Dark Tower V: Wolves of Calla
• The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
• The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower
• The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole

There is also a range of graphic novels that act as adaptations and exposition on the series as a whole. Some of these include:

• The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born
• The Dark Tower: The Long Road Home
• The Dark Tower: Treachery
• The Dark Tower: The Sorcerer
• The Dark Tower: Fall of Gilead
• The Dark Tower: Battle of Jericho Hill
• The Dark Tower: The Journey Begins, and more.

This first film in the series has yet to be given a sub-title, but perhaps Columbia Pictures will stick to the name of the first book: The Gunslinger.

It should release February next year.