Tom Hanks Eyes Lead Role in Warner Bros. Adaptation of Bestseller THEO OF GOLDEN
Tom Hanks may have found his next literary adaptation, and this one comes with one hell of a publishing success story.
Warner Bros. Pictures is currently negotiating for the feature film rights to Allen Levi’s bestselling novel Theo of Golden, with Hanks in talks to play the title character. The deal is reportedly being finalized, putting the unlikely publishing phenomenon on course for a major Hollywood adaptation.
Hanks feels like a pretty natural fit for this one. Theo of Golden takes place in the fictional town of Golden, where a man named Theo arrives and becomes interested in pencil portraits of local residents hanging inside a coffee shop. He buys the drawings and then personally delivers them to the people depicted in them.
Those visits gradually open the door to the lives, relationships, and personal stories of Golden’s residents. At the same time, Theo’s encounters force him to confront a tragedy from his own past.
The movie will be produced by Gil Netter, Gary Goetzman, and Hanks, while Levi will serve as executive producer. What makes the adaptation especially interesting is the wild road the novel took before Hollywood came calling.
Levi self-published Theo of Golden in 2023 with little promotion. It was his first novel, arriving after a career path that took him from practicing law to making music while living on an island in Georgia. Approaching 70, Levi certainly wasn’t following the conventional route to becoming the author of an international bestseller.
The book found its audience through word of mouth, with Levi’s niece, Aron Ritchie, playing a major part in getting it in front of more readers. His unusual story eventually attracted coverage from The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. Things grew even bigger after Oprah Winfrey featured Levi and the novel on her podcast.
Simon & Schuster gave Theo of Golden a wide release last October, and it has since sold more than 3.5 million copies in the United States. The book has been published in 43 languages and reached No. 1 on bestseller lists in markets including the UK, Italy, and the Netherlands.
That's a pretty incredible run for a book that began as a self-published novel from a first-time author. Its journey has drawn comparisons to Robert James Waller’s The Bridges of Madison County, another novel that became especially popular with older readers before making the jump to the big screen.
Whether Theo of Golden can pull off something similar remains to be seen, but Hanks taking the lead certainly gives Warner Bros. a strong place to start.
Netter also knows his way around successful book adaptations. His producing credits include Marley & Me, The Blind Side, Life of Pi, Just Mercy, The Shack, and Water for Elephants.
Hanks and Goetzman, meanwhile, have plenty happening through their Playtone banner. They recently completed Greyhound 2, which was written by and stars Hanks, with Aaron Schneider returning to direct.
They're also preparing The Comebacker with Marielle Heller directing. Hanks will play a New York Mets pitching coach in the film, which centers on a promising young pitcher whose life and career are shattered when he's hit by a batted ball immediately after throwing a pitch.
Callum Turner is set to play the pitcher, reuniting with Hanks and Goetzman after starring in the Apple World War II miniseries Masters of the Air. Sony acquired The Comebacker, which is based on a short story by Dave Eggers that Heller adapted for the screen. Production is expected to begin in early fall.
As for Theo of Golden, the movie is still in the early stages, but there's something appealing about Hanks playing a man whose simple interactions with strangers gradually uncover their lives while forcing him to deal with his own history. It's the kind of character-driven material that could play right into what Hanks does best.
Source: Deadline