Frank Darabont Will Die To Make 'Fahrenheit 451'
Filed under: Action, Classics, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Casting, Mystery & Suspense, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Scripts, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp
A new adaptation (I refuse to use the word remake here) of Fahrenheit 451 has been in the works for ten years now. I was very excited by the news that Mel Gibson was planning it as a Braveheart follow-up, as it seemed like that would mark a new and serious phase of his directing career. I wish that was something I could have been right about.Frank Darabont was the next one to take it on, and he's been attached to it since 2001, rewriting Terry Hayes' script and being delayed by everything from Indiana Jones IV, Mission Impossible III, The Mist, and Law Abiding Citizen. SciFi Wire caught up with Darabont at the Saturn Awards, and the director / writer declared that it was really time to get on with it already ... and that it might actually get underway this time, depending on whether or not the Big Name Actor he wants signs on.
"Fahrenheit is the thing I'm trying to get up next, which is casting-dependent, so it's one of those. I'm out to somebody at the moment, fingers crossed, because, boy, do I want to make that movie. I'm not giving up. I'll die in the traces before I don't make that movie ... It's not one of those movies that are vastly expensive by any contemporary standard, but money is still money, and it's of a price that requires somebody that will justify that investment. This is definitely going to be more than The Mist, so those other considerations do come into play."
You can go crazy wondering just who that Big Actor who can pull in the money and box office might be. Could it be someone that rumors have long attached, like Tom Hanks (Darabont's pick for years), Brad Pitt, or Tom Cruise? Or could we be looking at someone newly bankable, like Johnny Depp?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-28-2009 @ 12:15PM
Joseph Finn said...
Oddly, I keep thinking Sam Rockwell, though he's not that big.
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6-28-2009 @ 4:13PM
Midnight13 said...
Johnny Depp "newly" bankable. Ha! Didn't realize he was such an up and coming star.
Reply
6-29-2009 @ 2:09AM
Elisabeth said...
He may have been a big name and a solid presence for years, but it's only been since "Pirates" that he's shot to a level Hollywood considers bankable. Hey, I still remember the "Nick of Time" "Astronaut's Wife" days when everyone (*even* the fanbase that will now follow him to the death) considered him washed-up and boring.
6-29-2009 @ 12:22AM
gottacook said...
I don't think any actor over about the age of 40 can really be a suitable Montag, whether or not he's got an established film career already.
Reply
6-29-2009 @ 5:31PM
trimea said...
I also remember when Mel Gibson was going to make it. The rumor then was that he wanted Tom Cruise to star but to me that never fit. If Mel wanted to be the lead then it would have been perfect! Not really sure now, it can't be a pretty boy though...
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7-06-2009 @ 3:01AM
Alan said...
Clive Owen would be perfect!
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