British novelist Nick Hornby has agreed to adapt Cheryl Strayed's memoir, Wild, for a film starring Reese Witherspoon, reports Deadline.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail is an account of an 1,100-mile hike that Strayed undertook alone in the mid-90s as she confronted her personal demons, including heroin addiction and the death of her mother. Published in 2012, the book was optioned by Witherspoon's production outfit, Pacific Standard, and the actor intends to take the lead role.

Commenting on Hornby's hiring, Witherspoon said: "Nick's innate blend of humanity and humour are a perfect match for Cheryl's raw emotional memoir."

Hornby said: "I loved Cheryl Strayed's memoir. It's moving, funny, painful and brave, and the moment I'd finished it, I wanted someone to let me have a go at adapting it."

Hornby has seen three of his books – Fever Pitch, High Fidelity and About a Boy – turned into films, while a fourth, A Long Way Down, is currently in post-production. His first writing-for-hire assignment was the 2009 coming-of-age story An Education, and he has since completed an adaptation of Colm Tóibín's Brooklyn, about Irish immigrants moving to New York in the 50s.