Jeffrey Wright Cast in Adaptation of Pulitzer Prize Winner The Goldfinch

Golden Globe winner Jeffrey Wright is in negotiations to play the role of Hobie in the Amazon Studios and Warner Bros. film adaptation of The Goldfinch.

The film is based on Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2013 novel of the same name, which was her first new book in eleven years. The novel follows Theo Decker (to be played by Ansel Elgort), who, after surviving a terror attack, tumbles into a world of crime and desperation, with Carel Fabritius’ famous painting “The Goldfinch” serving as his only hope. After the attack, Hobie forms a close bond with Theo, becoming the only stable figure in his life.

Per Variety, Amazon agreed earlier this year to provide more than one third of the film’s budget, which is reported to be upwards of $40 million, for which they will be rewarded with streaming rights and distribution via home entertainment platforms. Warner Bros. will distribute the film theatrically and globally.

Wright most recently starred in HBO’s Emmy-nominated Westworld alongside Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden and Anthony Hopkins. He is expected to reprise his role in the show’s second season, which is still in production after a momentary pause late last year.

The Goldfinch adaptation also stars Dunkirk breakout Aneurin Barnard as Boris and Sarah Paulson as Xandra, with Brooklyn director John Crowley directing. The film’s theatrical release is expected in October 2019.