‘Theo of Golden’ Author Allen Levi Teases a Sequel and Talks Movie Plans (Exclusive)
The beloved author shares exciting updates on a beloved character’s story and dream casting for a film
Key Takeaways
- Levi is researching homelessness and spending time with Cheryl to write a story about Ellen
- Levi and his agent have been receiving many inquiries about a Theo of Golden film adaptation.
- Levi says music would be just as important as anything else if the book becomes a movie.
Over the past couple of years, Theo of Golden by Allen Levi has captured readers’ hearts thanks to the bestselling book’s lovable main character, heartfelt moments and page-turning plot. In fact, readers loved it so much, they have been asking: “Will there be a sequel or movie adaptation?”
Woman’s World recently sat down with Levi to learn every juicy bit of information surrounding an adaptation and a potential second book. To learn what he had to say, keep reading.
Allen Levi discusses a ‘Theo of Golden’ sequel
Theo of Golden follows a mysterious man named Theo after he arrives in the fictional Georgia town of Golden and discovers a wall featuring portraits of residents of the town. He then sets off on a quest to buy each painting and return it to the person featured in it. Along the way, he meets many people, including a homeless woman named Ellen, who quickly became a fan favorite character thanks to her intriguing background and outspoken personality.
Levi is also still thinking about the character he wrote: “I’m trying to write something about Ellen,” Levi reveals. “I’m doing a lot of research. I’m reading and watching some podcasts about homelessness, and I’m realizing how unimaginable that is to someone like myself, who has never come close to that state of being.”
“The one I’m reading right now is There Is No Place for Us by Brian Goldstone and it’s a wonderful book. It’s nonfiction, but it follows five families, mostly single mothers in Atlanta, and they all work,” he continues. “They cannot afford housing in Atlanta or a place to live, so their lives are really hard, and it ends up that some of those are literally homeless.”
In addition to reading and listening to podcasts, Levi is spending a lot of time with a woman named Cheryl, whose portrait served as the inspiration for Ellen.
“I didn’t know at the time for sure that Cheryl was homeless, but everything I could see in the portrait suggested hardship. She had a lot of road wear on her face, and so I created the character, Ellen, not really knowing anything about Cheryl’s actual story,” the author explains. “Come to find out that Cheryl has lived long periods of her life in homelessness, and she rides a bicycle. She is a delightful woman. I just met her a few months ago. I was a little afraid that she might have been offended by the character I created out of her portrait, but she has read the book, and she was highly complimentary of it. She did want me to know that she’s not as crazy as Ellen is.”
Allen Levi on a ‘Theo of Golden’ movie
For many readers, there’s nothing as thrilling as seeing your favorite book come to life on the big screen. And while there hasn’t been any official announcement that Theo of Golden will be adapted into a film or TV show, Levi says he and his agent have “been receiving a lot of inquiries.”
“If it ever does make it to film, I think music will be just as important as anything else,” he continues. “When I was writing the book, I had a playlist of about 300 songs, and most of them were really lush and nostalgic, and I’m convinced that that music helped me write the story. So if there ever is a movie, I would hope that someone who is unashamed to be sweet with their music would get to do the score.”
As for who would play Theo? Levi tossed out his thoughts on the ideal leading man, from Tom Hanks to Anthony Hopkins, Michael Caine and Martin Short.
“I know that the world of film is very complicated, legally, and I just don’t have the bandwidth to learn much about it,” he confesses. “I don’t watch a lot of films, and for much of my adult life I didn’t have a television and that was not because I’m a man of virtue, but it was because I got so lazy that I couldn’t even turn it off. And now, instead of watching something, I would rather stay focused on writing.”
You can pick up your copy of Theo of Golden now wherever books are sold.
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