‘A Man Called Otto’ Producer to Adapt Bestseller ‘The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari’ at Hope Studios

European film studio Hope Studios, led by Fredrik Wikström Nicastro, the veteran producer behind Sony’s hit Tom Hanks movie “A Man Called Otto,” is setting up a feature adaptation of Robin Sharma’s “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari,” the bestselling book about a life-changing journey.

Based on Sharma’s own search for life’s true purpose, “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” tells the story of Julian Mantle, a lawyer forced to confront the personal crisis of his out-of-balance life after a tragedy – and his transformational journey through India. Translated into 70 languages, the book has sold over 10 million copies since being first published in 1999.

The project is the latest high profile IP tackled by Hope Studios, the banner launched in November 2023 by Wikström Nicastro who spent 18 years at the Nordic powerhouse SF Studios and became one of its pillars, producing more than 20 movies. During his tenure at the banner, he bowed the international film division and notably produced “Borg vs McEnroe,” “Snabba Cash” (which he also co-wrote), as well as “A Man Called Otto,” a heartfelt drama that was a remake of Swedish hit “A Man Called Ove,” and went on to gross an impressive $112 million globally in the aftermath of the pandemic, and subsequently was a huge hit on Netflix.

Wikström Nicastro told Variety that the movie adaptation of “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” was a passion project for him.  

“I reached out to Robin because I’m a huge fan of the book. I first read it over a decade ago, and it’s one of my favorites,” says the producer, who points out the author is also behind “The 5 AM Club,” another bestseller.

“I think it has amazing themes about what is important in life and search for meaning and purpose. And it has a very uplifting message about the ability to grow through friendship and to enjoy life and the journey of life,” Wikström Nicastro continues.

The feature adaptation will follow “John – an impatient and egocentric young lawyer who needs to team up with one of his legal idols, the high-powered Julian Mantle, who recently returned to the firm after mysteriously vanishing off the scene for years. But the legendary Julian has completely transformed – he has now become an eccentric joy seeker and John suspects he may have lost his edge. The story traces the beginning of an unexpected friendship and a journey of self-discovery for them both that will change their lives forever,” reads the synopsis.

Sharma said he’s “waited over 25 years to find the right studio to bring ‘The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari’ into film.” “I’m excited by Fredrik’s vision for the movie and his great passion for the story. I feel highly confident this film will inspire many millions of people across the globe, in these turbulent times,” the author added.

Wikström Nicastro has high ambitions for the project which he says will be in “the same space as films like ‘Scent of a Woman’ or ‘Rain Man’ or ‘The Fisher King,'” tonally. He’ll also be looking for “A-level actors” to cast the main roles.

Pressed for more references, the producer quipped the movie will be like “‘Eat, Pray, Love’ for a male audience.”

“I think that women have had a very clear trajectory about what’s femininity and their role, but men are very confused right now in the world, with their place in society or their place in their masculinity,” he says.

Along the lines “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari,” Hope Studios is pursuing other projects that are literary adaptations, for instance a feature adaptation of Fredrik Backman’s New York Times bestselling novel “Anxious People.” The project reteams Fredrik with the creative team behind “A Man Called Otto,” including its screenwriter David Magee.

Wikström Nicastro says he was also interested in tapping into genre as long as they have meaningful themes. As previously announced by Variety, Hope Studios is now in pre-production on “The Night House,” an adaptation of master storyteller Jo Nesbø’s chilling novel of the same name starring Aaron Paul (“Breaking Bad”) and Jacob Tremblay (“Room”). The movie is set to shoot this summer in Álava, Spain. Protagonist launched sales on the title in Berlin.

Hope Studios, which has offices in Stockholm and London, has not been impacted by the turmoils that hit the Nordic film industry in recent years, after streamers scaled back on originals across the region. The reason why the company has been able to ride through the storm is that it focuses on English-language films aimed at the international market.

On the other hand, being established in Europe gives Hope Studios a competitive advantage to produce upscale movies with top talent for a “decent budget,” between $15 million up to $40 million, says Wikström Nicastro. “We’re always shooting in Europe, trying to maximize the different rebates and ways to make movies cheaper which can be tough for the American independents to do because they usually shoot in the U.S. and that’s very expensive.” He says the company’s business model has proven attractive to Swedish investors who are “excited to have a company doing global films,” and they’ve been able to raise $50 million out of Sweden.

Wikström Nicastro is optimistic about the marketplace for ambitious mid-level movies like the ones he’s pursuing at Hope Studios. He acknowledges that “buyers are not being as aggressive as they used to, but the wheels will start to turn again.”

“Studios and the streamers can live off of things that they put in production a couple of years ago, but in the end, I think that audience will want new films and TV shows, and they’ll have to start to invest in new content soon,” he predicts.