Wentworth Miller To Adapt 'The Story Of Edgar Sawtelle' For Producers Tom Hanks & Oprah Winfrey

Sometimes getting through the grueling marathon that is the development process in Hollywood takes time, and in the case of the adaptation of David Wroblewski’s “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle,” it’s been two and a half years since the project was first announced with the combined might of Tom Hanks and Oprah Winfrey behind it. But THR is reporting that “Prison Break” star Wentworth Miller is in negotiations to be the latest writer to take a crack at the adaptation.

Miller has been making waves in the screenwriting world after his spec script “Stoker” -- which was written under the pseudonym Ted Foulke -- landed on the Black List and attracted a bunch of talented folks including famed South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook, who will be making his English-language directorial debut with the film next year. The actor/screenwriter will, if talks are successful, be taking over screenwriting duties from frequent Hanks collaborator William Broyles Jr. (“Cast Away,” “The Polar Express” and “Apollo 13”).

The acclaimed novel, a 2008 Oprah's Book Club selection, “centers on the titular teenage mute who, caught in a long-standing intense family conflict, flees into the woods with three of the extraordinary dogs that his family raises and trains.” The story has been compared to everything from “Hamlet” to “Night Of The Hunter,” so we’re intrigued by what the final product will end up to be, especially since it’s ostensibly being shaped into a prestige picture, given the producers involved.

We honestly completely forgot about this project, but with the move to get such a high profile screenwriter, it’s obvious that all involved really want to kick the development into high gear. What do you think? Is Miller the one that will move “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle” forward?