HBO has released the trailer for its version of the Ray Bradbury novel, Farenheit 451. Starring Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire) and Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther) bring the lead characters to live in the film when it debuts in May.
The epic novel depicts a society “where the media is an opiate, history is rewritten and ‘firemen’ burn books,” as noted in the synopsis. When the book was released, Bradbury forewarned readers about society limiting free thought through the banning of dissenting ideas. This was at a time when book burning was prevalent in the U.S.
Farenheit 451, the temperature at which paper will ignite, features a book burning fireman who is struck by family situations which force him re-evaluate his job. He then switches alliances and joins up with a group who wish to preserve the written word and stories.
Ramin Bahrami directs the HBO version, also sharing screenplay credits with Amir Naderi. “I have always loved Ray Bradbury’s prophetic novel Fahrenheit 451,” noted Bahrami, “Two years ago, as I looked at the world around me, it seemed like the ideal time to do a modern interpretation. I am grateful to HBO for helping me bring my vision of the film to audiences with this incredible cast.”
Farenheit 451 premieres in May on HBO.