Deadline has word that Idris Elba (‘Thor: The Dark World,’ ‘Luther,’ ‘The Gunman’) has entered into talks to star in ‘The Alchemist,’ the long-gestating film adaptation of Paolo Coelho’s bestselling novel that has Laurence Fishburne (‘The Matrix,’ ‘Man of Steel’) attached to direct.
Coelho’s novel tells of a young Spaniard named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasure found within.
The Weinstein Company is behind the project, and hopes to have the adaptation in production early next year.