The 2008 Cannes Film Festival provided the setting for the Weinstein Company to announce they're bringing Paulo Coelho's bestselling novel The Alchemist to the big screen. Harvey Weinstein will produce the film with Laurence Fishburne set to direct, produce and star in the feature film.
Released in 1988, Coelho's novel has sold over 30 million copies worldwide. In a press release announcing the deal, author Coelho said, "I am very happy that my book will be filmed in the way I intended it to be and I hope the spirit and simplicity of my work will be preserved. I am excited my friend Laurence Fishburne and Harvey Weinstein will be working together."
Harvey Weinstein was quoted as saying, "Personally producing a project is rare for me, but bringing The Alchemist to the screen has been my dream. It is a spiritual and moving story and I am thrilled to be working side by side with Laurence. The pieces are now in place to jump start this project and we are eager to get going."
The search is on for the actor who will handle the lead role of Santiago. The Weinstein Company is currently negotiating a deal to bring an Academy Award-winning screenwriter on board to adapt the novel.
The Alchemist - Official Synopsis
The Alchemist is the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist. The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us, as only a few stories have done, about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, above all, following our dreams.
Source: The Weinstein Company
