Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Goldfinch is set to become a feature film, as Warner Brothers has acquired the movie rights to the book. The movie will be co-produced by Rush Hour director Brett Ratner, as well as Brad Simpson and Hunger Games producer Nina Jacobson.
The Goldfinch, Tartt’s third novel, has sold at least 1.5 million copies, despite clocking in at an intimidating 784 pages -- a length that may pose a challenge for the film adaptation. The novel, a coming-of-age story about a boy whose grief over his mother’s senseless death is assuaged by his dangerous and illegal love for a priceless painting, drew comparisons to Charles Dickens upon its publication and has continued to command critical attention and popular sales.
The Pulitzer Prize and a spot on the bestseller lists aside, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing for The Goldfinch. The book failed to make the longlist for the Man Booker Prize and was recently the subject of a Vanity Fair article that questioned whether Tartt’s writing qualified as art. The Goldfinch’s major new movie deal must be a welcome dose of good news for Tartt, who famously spent 11 years writing the sprawling novel.
Let’s hope it’s also good news for fans of The Goldfinch. Though Warner Brothers also bought the movie rights to Tartt’s 1992 book, The Secret History, at the time of its publication, no film has resulted from the deal as of yet.