Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon to star in the HBO movie adaptation of Fahrenheit 451
Michael B. Jordan (Creed) and Michael Shannon (Man of Steel) are set to star in the upcoming HBO movie adaptation of the classic Ray Bradbury novel Fahrenheit 451, according to Variety. In the dystopian novel, television and media exist to numb the populace, history has been eradicated and “fireman” burn all the books. Jordan will reportedly play Montag, a fireman who tries to shake off the role he’s taken on after meeting Clarisse, who teaches him about the past. Shannon will play Beatty, Montag’s captain and mentor.
Here is the official book description: “Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But then he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television.
“When Mildred attempts suicide and Clarisse suddenly disappears, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known. He starts hiding books in his home, and when his pilfering is discovered, the fireman has to run for his life.”
Jordan will executive produce Fahrenheit 451 through his Outlier Productions, alongside Sarah Green from Brace Cover Productions, Alan Gasmer, Peter Jaysen and Ramin Bahrani from Noruz Films. Bahrani, who recently directed Shannon in 99 Homes, will co-write the script with Amir Naderi, as well as direct the film. David Coatsworth is also producing. The project has yet to get a final commitment from HBO, though the trade says that it’s moving in that direction.
What do you guys think of the casting for Fahrenheit 451? Are you excited for the film? Who should play Mildred and Clarisse? Let us know in the comments or tweet us @ComingSoonnet.
(Photo by Steve Granitz / Leon Bennett / WireImage)