The book's a bestseller in virtually every country on Earth (maybe not Tuvalu) and has been translated into 56 languages. Now Paul Coelho's The Alchemist is set for the big screen, with Laurence Fishburne set to write and direct the film.
The story follows a young shepherd in Andalucia who has a dream about a buried treasure to be found near the Pyramids. He sets off in pursuit of his dream, but along the way finds obstacle after obstacle, and is often tempted to give up. There's some philosophy bits in there too, but we just skimmed those bits and read on to the next fight.
The whole thing is a sort of magical fable about following your dream (can you believe that Disney hasn't already snapped it up?) with elements of religion, legend and history woven in. Fishburne is writing and directing, although there's no word yet on whether he'll star, and producing along with his Akeelah and the Bee co-producers Barrie Osbourne (of **Lord of the Rings **fame, so we figure he knows from fantasy) and Helen Sugland.