Tom Hanks Circles 'Theo of Golden' as Warner Bros. Negotiates Film Rights
Warner Bros. Pictures is in negotiations for the feature film rights to Theo of Golden, the self-published debut novel by Allen Levi that became a worldwide phenomenon, with Tom Hanks in talks to play the title character, Deadline reported on 19 August 2026.
Hanks will also produce alongside Gil Netter and his Playtone partner Gary Goetzman, with Levi serving as executive producer. Jesse Ehrman and Sheila Walcott are overseeing the project for Warner Bros., where literary affairs executive Ian Dalyrimple first flagged the novel to the studio.
The path from self-published book to studio bidding war is the kind of chain that starts with one person putting the right copy in the right hands. Levi, a first-time author who previously worked in law and makes music on an island in Georgia, self-published Theo of Golden in 2023. His niece, Aron Ritchie, helped lift the book's visibility. Oprah Winfrey then featured Levi and the novel on her podcast, and Simon & Schuster picked it up for wide release. The book has since sold over 3.5 million copies in the United States alone, hit No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list, been published in 43 languages, and topped bestseller charts in the Netherlands, Italy and the UK, according to Deadline and confirmed by Winfrey's social media.
The novel is set in the fictional town of Golden, where a man named Theo buys pencil portraits of locals displayed in a coffee shop and returns each one to its subject. The gesture unearths stories and relationships across the community and leads Theo to confront tragedy in his own past.
Back in April, Levi himself told a Yahoo Entertainment interview that there had been no official announcement of any film or television adaptation, and when asked about ideal casting, he floated names ranging from Tom Hanks to Anthony Hopkins. Four months later, Hanks is the one in active talks.
Netter brings a deep résumé in book-to-screen work — Marley & Me, The Blind Side, Life of Pi, Just Mercy, The Shack and Water for Elephants. Producers who specialise in literary adaptations are the studio's way of hedging the risk inherent in turning a quiet, character-driven novel into a theatrical release.
For Hanks and Goetzman's Playtone, Theo of Golden slots into a packed development slate. The pair recently finished Greyhound 2, scripted by and starring Hanks with Aaron Schneider directing. Next up is The Comebacker, directed by Marielle Heller from a Dave Eggers short story she adapted herself; Hanks stars as the pitching coach of the New York Mets opposite Callum Turner as a young pitcher. Sony acquired that project, which is set to shoot in early fall, Deadline reports.
Levi is represented by WME; Hanks by CAA. No start date, director or screenwriter has been named for Theo of Golden — the project is still in the negotiations stage, and unsigned deals stay just that until the studio and representatives close them.
