Tom Hanks may star in the film adaptation of this Bay Minette author’s bestselling novel
Reading time: 5 minutes
Allen Levi’s novel, “Theo of Golden,” has been taking the country by storm, recently hitting the 3.5 million mark of copies sold. The literary fiction book has become a #1 New York Times bestseller for more than nine months and the highest-selling print book in America for 2026, according to The Wrap.
One thing Mobile Bay locals may not know is that the 70-year-old, bestselling author was born in Bay Minette!
“A story of giving and receiving, of seeing and being seen, Theo of Golden is a beautifully crafted novel about the power of creative generosity, the importance of wonder to a purposeful life, and the invisible threads of kindness that bind us to one another.”
Excerpt from the ‘Theo of Golden’ book-cover blurb
Levi’s novel follows the story of Theo, a curious old man who quietly moves into the southern city of Golden, which is based on Columbus, Georgia. It’s on the walls of a local coffee shop that Theo discovers 92 pencil-drawn portraits of Golden locals, and he is inspired to undertake a campaign of anonymous generosity: purchasing and returning each portrait to its “rightful owner.”
“How is it, Theo wondered, that a piece of paper — a letter, a photo, a ticket stub, a sketch, a painting — is suddenly transformed by placing it in four bits of wood beneath a pane of glass? What does it mean that we place permanent boundaries around transient moments? What does it say of humankind that we take such trouble to freeze specific memories, that we devote such energy to capturing and preserving the ‘minute particulars’ of our lives?”
Allen Levi, Theo of Golden
Warner Bros. Pictures is currently in negotiations for the feature film rights to the breakout novel, with Tom Hanks in mind to star, according to The Wrap.
Despite his rapid rise to acclaim, Levi continues to support locally owned book stores around the U.S.
In Alabama specifically, as he has visited Auburn Oil Co. Booksellers to sign copies, which are available to purchase on the shop’s website.
Keep reading to learn more about what “Theo of Golden” is about + its potential film adaption!
Meet Allen Levi, Bay Minette-born bestselling author
Levi was born in Bay Minette before being raised in Columbus, Georgia. He went on to attend the University of Georgia for his English and law degrees then worked as an attorney from 1980 to 1990.
In 1990, Levi left the law practice briefly to move to Scotland, where he received a degree in Scottish fiction from the University of Edinburgh. After graduating, Levi returned home to resume law practice for three more years.
It was in 1996 that he ventured into vocational music and eventually made his way into becoming a traveling musician with over twenty albums to his credit (plus hundreds of other unpublished songs). You can check out his music on Spotify or Apple Music.
Although “Theo of Golden” was Levi’s first novel, it wasn’t his first published work. In 2014, he wrote memoir “The Sweet Mile” in remembrance of his brother, Gary, who passed in 2012 due to his inoperable brain cancer.
Levi also authored children’s book “Oliviatown,” which was inspired by his original song of the same name.
“She draws a whole town with her pieces of chalk on the sidewalk just outside the door
“Oliviatown”
Flowers in pastel that die when it rains
but hey, she can just plant some more
When you make a whole world that you get to arrange
you keep what you like, what you don’t you can change
Everything’s fine in Oliviatown
Everything’s always just fine.”
Levi’s original plan was to finish “Theo of Golden” and stick it in a drawer, but he was convinced “not to let the manuscript moulder,” according to The New York Times. In 2023, “Theo of Golden” made its debut when Levi self-published.
It’s a great thing Levi didn’t let the manuscript gather dust. It sold more than 175,000 copies before Simon & Schuster imprint Atria took over the publication in October 2025. The New York Times called it “a word-of-mouth smash hit.”
Since then, it has become a national phenomenon with 3.5 million copies sold. Three weeks ago, Simon & Schuster audiobook imprint Simon Maverick Books announced that the “Theo of Golden” audiobook, narrated by David Morse, reached one million audio copies sold.
Warner Bros. Pictures in talks for the novel’s feature film rights
As Warner Bros. Pictures negotiate for feature film rights, Tom Hanks is in talks to star, as well as produce alongside Gil Netter, Gary Goetzman, with Allen Levi as the executive producer, according to Deadline.
