Robert Redford has been attached to an adaptation of Bill Bryson’s A Walk In The Wood for a long time. Originally it was going to reteam him with Paul Newman, but Paul’s ill health and eventual death prevented that. For a while Nick Nolte has been attached to Newman’s role and now Richard Linklater has signed up to direct, according to the LA Times.
Chris Columbus and Barry Levinson have previously been attached to helm the movie, but hopefully it will actually be able to move forward with Linklater. The project is based on the popular travel memoir by Bill Bryson, who returned home to America after spending over 20 years in England and decided to hike the Appalachian Trail. He did it with an old friend, who was a former drug addict who wasn’t prepared for the arduous trek. The journey forced both men to confront their lives and the realities of aging. Robert Redford will play Bill Bryson, with Nick Nolte portraying his friend, Stephen Katz.
Richard Russo wrote the most recent draft of the screenplay, which was supervised by Robert Redford, who is also producing. Redford commented, “A Walk in the Woods is the kind of movie that has something to say but can also be really commercial because it’s just so funny. It will be nice to get back to doing a comedy.”
Shooting will begin later this autumn.