HBO has become pretty good at adapting successful books into successful TV programs. The cable network has another promising project on the way with an adaptation of Fahrenheit 451. Based on the classic sci-fi novel by Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 is an upcoming TV movie starring Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon. We've seen some images from the movie, and now HBO has graced us with the first footage. Check out this lit teaser trailer for Fahrenheit 451 below:
Fahrenheit 451 is set in a dystopian future where history and books are outlawed. Guy Montag works as a firefighter. Instead of putting out fires, however, he's called to start them, burning contraband books and knowledge. The written word is considered illegal and mass media is the sole source of information, causing society to grow complacent and carefree, no longer questioning the status quo. Though Montag thinks he is perfectly happy, an encounter with an inquisitive and insightful teenage girl causes him to doubt his place and his job book burning, putting him into conflict with his mentor, Beatty.
The teaser trailer may not show off much, but it's certainly effective. It only shows a firefighter holding a burning Crime and Punishment before dropping it into a pile of "contraband" books and torching them with a flamethrower. Fahrenheit 451 stars Michael B. Jordan as the disenchanted firefighter, Guy Montag, and Michael Shannon as Captain Beatty, Montag's boss and all around hater of books. The TV movie supporting cast is rounded out by Laura Harrier, Sofia Boutella, and Lilly Singh. The HBO movie is directed by Ramin Bahrani, who also wrote the screenplay.
The Fahrenheit 451 novel first released in 1953 and was set in an unspecified time in the future. What will be interesting about the TV movie is how far technology has come since the book first released. Sensory overload is a real thing these days, and while the written word is certainly not dead, we get our entertainment and news mostly from screens, which is pretty much what the novel predicts. That makes the HBO adaptation timely and more relevant than ever, so you can bet a lot of eyes will be on this as it gets closer to its release date.
Fahrenheit 451 will release on HBO in the spring of 2018, so be sure to keep checking back in with CinemaBlend and we'll keep you updated with more information as soon as it is available. In the meantime, Fahrenheit 451 isn't the only high-profile TV project dropping this year. Visit our midseason premiere guide to learn about all the shows airing soon, and our cancellation guide for all the ones that aren't.
