More than two decades after being published, "The Alchemist" movie is finally getting closer to fruition.
Paulo Coehlo's bestselling book, which was first printed in 1988, will reportedly be adapted into film by The Weinstein Company.
According to Deadline, Laurence Fishburne is being courted to direct the said film while the "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom" actor Idris Elba is in talks to star in the upcoming project.
The news site further reported that this news is a ray of light for Coehlo's biggest selling novel. The rights for "The Alchemist" had initially been signed over by the author to Warner Brothers in 1994 for a quarter of a million dollars. The Brazilian writer later tried to buy the rights back, even offering $2 million at one point.
In 2008, Harvey Weinstein then announced that he would be personally producing "The Alchemist" movie. However, the company would have to address past concerns of what exactly to include and cut from Coehlo's epic spiritual tale.
Despite selling 65 million copies in 56 different languages, it's a mystery as to why film companies couldn't seem to take the epic tale to the big screen.
The problem, Deadline reported, was the budget for the film as well as what parts of the shepherd boy's adventure would be included in the film. TWC is said to be courting Middle Eastern investors.
"The film will be a bridge to the Middle East. The book has been an overwhelming success there. It's a part of the world we need to know more about and extend bridges to it," Weinstein reportedly said during his announcement at the Cannes International Film Festival in 2008.
Meanwhile, according to The Guardian, Elba could renew his bid for an Oscar award should he decide to star in "The Alchemist" movie.
The novel follows Santigao, an Andalusian shepherd boy, in his journey to look for a majestic treasure in Egypt and encounters several interesting people along the way.
