HBO has undeniably found success when it comes to adapting books for the small screen, and the network has another project in the works that will bring a legendary novel to television. A TV movie based on Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 is in production with Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon in the lead roles. Now, a first look at the action of Fahrenheit 451 has hit the web, and it points to an explosive project that will have us on the edges of our seats. Check it out!
Fahreinheit 451 takes place in a dystopian future in which books and history are outlawed. Firemen work not to put out fires, but to burn whatever remaining books are discovered. Mass media has replaced the written word, and society has been altered by constant sensory overload to the extent that few people even question the status quo anymore. Michael B. Jordan will play a young fireman by the name of Montag. When Montag begins to question whether he's doing the right thing by burning books, he finds himself conflicting with his mentor, Beatty. Michael Shannon is on board as Beatty, and the first look from HBO indicates that the firemen will have the resources to burn plenty of books without much difficulty.
The TV movie also stars Laura Harrier, Soufia Boutella, and Lily Singh. Harrier will play Millie, who is married to Montag and has an obsession with social media that has led to a major disconnect with her husband. Boutella will tackle the role of Clarisse, who book fans will remember as the young woman whose actions encourage Montag's growing dissent. Singh is on board as tabloid vlogger Raven, who assists the fire department by spreading propaganda about their book burnings.
Ramin Bahrani is directing the movie, which reunites him with Michael Shannon. The duo worked together for the film 99 Homes. Bahrani is also executive producing and is credited with co-writing the script in a collaboration with Amir Naderi. Star Michael B. Jordan is executive producing the project as well.
It should be interesting to see how audiences react to Fahrenheit 451 in the 21st century. The original Ray Bradbury novel was published in 1953, and the dystopian future in which the action takes place was never specified. Still, given the advent of social media and the wide variety of news outlets in recent years, audiences will probably be able to relate to certain aspects of the plot, if not necessarily the book burnings. I'm curious to discover if the HBO movie will go so far as to put a year to the events.
Fahrenheit 451 is still in production, so it'll likely be a while before the movie makes its small screen debut. Check out our summer TV guide and 2017 Netflix schedule to see what you can watch in the meantime, and don't forget to swing by our rundowns of all the renewals and cancellations for network and cable/streaming ahead of fall premiere season.
