Reese Witherspoon has signed on to star in Nick Hornby’s adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s 2012 best selling novel Wild which has been picked up by Fox Searchlight Pictures today. The novel is Strayed’s memoir telling the story of her journey of self-discovery as she set out on a 1,100-mile hike of the Pacific Crest Trail having overcome her mother’s death, heroin use and a bitter divorce. The book reached #1 on the New York Times best seller list thanks in part to it’s inclusion on Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club.
Nick Hornby previously adapted Lynn Barber’s AN EDUCATION for which he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. The movie was the break out role for actress Carey Mulligan who played the lead in the the 2009 release. Several of Hornby’s own books have been adapted for the screen including FEVER PITCH, of which a British version (1997) and a US version (2005) were made, HIGH FIDELITY and ABOUT A BOY.
The movie sounds like it will be extremely Witherspoon-centric and she proved she can deliver in serious dramatic roles when she won the Oscar for Best Actress for her portrayal of June Carter in 2005’s WALK THE LINE. A director is yet to be attached to the project and when one has it is believed production will begin later this year.
Source: Deadline
