Oscar-winning actor Casey Affleck is set to star in a big screen adaptation of John Williams’ 1965 acclaimed novel Stoner.

Joe Wright has been tapped to direct the project, to be produced by Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Productions.

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Andrew Bovell will adapt the script for the movie, which will follow the life of William Stoner, a dirt-poor farmer turned academic, who emerges as an unlikely existential hero while making his way through the first half of the 20th Century.

“Because the novel is so beautiful but not well-known, fans of ‘Stoner’ feel like they’re in a secret club. I’m so excited that Casey, Joe and Andrew have come aboard to help expand this club’s membership,” said Blum, who optioned the book in 2011.