Theo of Golden is heading for the big screen.
Allen Levi's bestseller has been snapped up by Warner Bros.
Tom Hanks is in negotiations to lead the adaptation.
Tom Hanks is reportedly talks to lead the adaptation of Theo of Golden, Allen Levi's NYT bestseller. Warner Bros. is mounting the project.
Gil Netter, Gary Goetzman and Hanks are producing, with Levi executive producing. Jesse Ehrman and Sheila Walcott are supervising the project for WB Pictures. The team is grateful literary affairs executive Ian Dalrymple for bringing the project to the studio.
Theo Of Golden Synopsis
Published by Simon & Schuster in October 2025, the book synopsis reads: “One spring morning, a stranger named Theo arrives in the small Southern city of Golden. He doesn’t explain much about where he came from or why he’s there — but when he visits the local coffeehouse, where pencil portraits of the people of Golden hang on the walls, he begins purchasing them, one at a time, and giving each portrait to the person depicted. In exchange, he asks only for the person’s story. And so portrait by portrait, person by person, secrets are revealed, regrets are shared, and ordinary lives are profoundly altered.”
Theo of Golden was initially self-published in 2023 by the first-time author, who switched from a law career to making music. The novel stormed forth with tremendous word of mouth, and when Oprah Winfrey featured Levi and his book on her podcast, things really took off. Theo of Golden was then published by Simon & Schuster last year and has sold over 3.5 million copies stateside. It has even been published in more than 40 languages. It was a No. 1 bestseller in places like the Netherlands, Italy and the UK.
Hanks is next primed to essay a hitting coach for the New York Mets in The Comebacker, which starts production in the fall. Marielle Heller is directing in a much-awaited second collaboration with Hanks after A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood (2019).
