The Weinstein Co. has acquired the rights to the 1988 best-selling Paolo Coelho novel “The Alchemist” from Laurence Fishburne and have decided to retain the deep-voiced thesp to star and direct with an as-yet unknown but supposedly Oscar-winning screenwriter penning the script. The story centers on a young Spaniard who journeys to the Egyptian pyramids in order to find a hidden treasure and along the way encounters drama, excitement, action and, let’s hope, hotties. Production is expected to start in late spring with a release either at the end of next year or sometime in 2010. Fishburne can next be seen in the crime drama BLACK WATER TRANSIT and a slew of other projects including TORTURED, DAYS OR WRATH and ARMORED.