Pending script approval, an Iowa expat’s 1998 book, “A Walk in the Woods,” is close to starting production with film legend Robert Redford. The film, based on Bill Bryson’s travelogue, is on hold until an agreement is reached in the writers’ strike, but The Hollywood Reporter says Redford will star in and produce the movie. Director Barry Levinson has also been linked to the project.Bryson’s book chronicles his journey on the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail. It’s been hailed as a classic for a blend of human comedy and nature observations. He also makes a strong case for conservation of wilderness areas.

Bryson is from Des Moines, dropped out of Drake University to backpack in Europe and afterwards became a highly celebrated travel writer. Both of his parents wrote for The Des Moines Register.

His recent work, “The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid,” is out in paperback and his next book, “Bryson’s Dictionary for Writers and Editors,” will be available in April 2008.

Redford is also reportedly working on a movie about baseball hero Jackie Robinson, who broke the sport’s color line in 1947.