Reese Witherspoon Set For Nick Hornby’s Book Adaptation ‘Wild’ For Fox Searchlight

Fox Searchlight Pictures announced today it has acquired worldwide rights to screenwriter Nick Hornby’s adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s bestselling book Wild. The female-led drama will star Reese Witherspoon and will be produced by her shingle Pacific Standard with Bruna Papandrea and River Road Entertainment’s Bill Pohlad. Fox Searchlight President Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utley said production is slated to begin in late fall once a director is chosen. An Oprah book selection, the memoir focuses on the 26-year-old woman, dismayed by the dissolution of her marriage and the death of her mother, who decides to hike the 1,000-mile Pacific Crest Trail alone. Oscar-nominated Hornby’s credits include An Education and High Fidelity while Witherspoon received Best Actress for Walk The Line. The deal was made with Fox Searchlight by CAA and Management 360 and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman.