Three days ago, news of the impending cessation of Will’s production The Alchemist went public
Reportedly Will and Jada’s production company Westbrook Studios were working on a film adaptation of Coelho’s book The Alchemist. Unfortunately, Will could not perform any magic that would push the project forward.
Quite a few studios have been trying to bring Coelho’s The Alchemist to film, but with little avail. Finally, it seemed that the project would materialize. An announcement was made earlier this month that Will and Jada’s production company would be partnering with Netter films to make this dream project a reality. And the plan was for a 2022 release. Supposedly, the project was well underway when, oops, there was an issue. Some rumors indicate that the issue is with financing. Another source said the issue is far from a finance issue.
“This isn’t a financing issue; this is just an issue with a rights transfer.”
Will has not been shy about how much he likes Coelho’s The Alchemist
At one point, Will is noted as saying
The Alchemist is one of his favorite books. So, it is only logical that he would want his artistic print on the project. According to a
source, “Coelho sold the rights to the book in 1992″ and he was well aware that Smith would be producing it. At the same time, the author does not say that he will have any parts of the film’s actual production. However, he does say that he will watch the film. In fact,
Coelho even made a proclamation that he was a fan of Smith.
There must be something special about this film
Both the Warner Brothers and Weinstein studios have tried to bring this film to the masses in the past, and now Westbrook Studios is taking a crack at it. But, things seem really iffy. And as of right now, Will and Jada’s production company has yet to comment. But, not all hope is lost. The same source who indicated that the issue was a right to transfer also indicated that things will work out.
Here is hoping that Will gets the opportunity to breathe life into one of his favorite books.
For other information on what else
Will Smith is up to, check out our retrospective article.
Written by Renae Richardson
