“Sayonara, Bonfire of the Vanities!”
Frank Darabont’s adaptation of the classic novel Fahrenheit 451 ranks right up there with Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards, Fincher’s Rendezvous with Rama and Aronofsky’s take on Lone Wolf & Cub as an epic dream project that’s been discussed for ages. For nearly a year, Tom Hanks had been pegged for the 2009 film’s lead role of Guy Montag, a content fireman of the future who slowly realizes that his government occupation of burning books and oppressing book owners is nothing less than horrific.
Unfortch(-unately, by reader request) Hanks is no longer attached to what would have been his second collabo(-ration, by reader request) with the director after 1999’s so-so The Green Mile, according to Darabont…
“Mr. Hanks sadly and regretfully had to back out,” Darabont told MTV. “I was really looking forward to working with him again but his other commitments just precluded it. He had to take a step back.”
Darabont remains confident in his long percolating vision, and it sounds like the film won’t be sidetracked by the snag. But what actor is up to the challenge of portraying sci-fi author legend Ray Bradbury’s disillusioned everyman in one of the great, prolific Man vs. The Man tales of all time?
“It needs to be somebody like [Hanks] who has the ability to trigger a greenlight but is also the right guy for the part. It’s a narrow target. It’s a short list of people,” Darabont sighed.
As a fan of the book who was never big on Francois Truffaut’s 1966 version, which always seemed more occupied with getting film students’ rocks off than being a worthy harbinger of doom, this quote from Darabont is particularly cool…
“I see this movie so clearly in my head. It’s flowing in my veins,” he said. And just because you think of books first when you think “Fahrenheit 451,” don’t expect something akin to Jane Austen, Darabont promised. He explained, “One character in the script says, ‘It’s not really even about books. It’s about control.’ It’s about the control of government and authority. It’s one of the greatest books ever written. It’s got all that great political stuff underneath the skin of it but really what it is is a great galloping tale.”
I haven’t yet seen The Mist, but Darabont seems to be getting a little angrier and darker with age and that’s always a good thing in my book. The exception being Craig Ferguson, who agreeably treats life like a beach as his hair goes grayer.
Discuss: Who should play Montag now that Hanks has lost his bookmark? Should Darabont go younger?
March 28th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
christian bale i think would make a awesome guy montag
March 28th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
“Unfortch”?!
“Collabo”?!
“WTF?!”
March 28th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
@ john
Christian Bale already played the character essentially in “Equilibrium “… So sure… lets see if he can do it without the Gun-fu.
March 28th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
I don’t really have a substitute in mind, but I have to say I’m sort of glad Hanks isn’t taking the role. I love him, but I can’t picture him at all.
March 28th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Bale is an excellent actor but I don’t see him as an every man. That’s why he’s so good at roles such as Batman and Bateman. Because he stands out a little.
I’m struggling to think of another actor who fits the everyman bill better than Tom Hanks. I think Shia LaBeouf does, but he’s way too young for this. Seth Rogan works as an everyman but he’s a comedian or versed for comic work, not dramas like this.
I have big love for Jeff Bridges and I see him as being very versatile and likable, and a fantastic actor to boot. And he definitely can do the drama. So I’d had to say go with Jeff Bridges.
March 28th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
@ ben-a
Jeff Bridges would be great. From well kempt to grizzled. Excellent choice.
March 28th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Darabont is a fond of reusing actors what about David Morse (Brutal form The Green Mile). The title “fireman” has always me think of a bigger burlier guy anyway even though they are nowhere near the same thing.
March 28th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Curious.
March 28th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
What about Josh Brolin?
March 28th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Bradbury himself said that he was working on developing it for Mel Gibson in 1998. At the time, I believe Gibson was going to direct and star ala Braveheart.
March 28th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Guy Montag is 28 in the novel. Let’ keep it within 10 years of that. Hanks wuld make a decent Beatty and Bridges is my pic for that role though.
March 28th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
What about Will Smith?
March 28th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
When I first heard they were going to make another film of Fahrenheit 451 someone told me they were considering Ewan McGregor, so I didn’t even know about the whole Tom Hanks thing.
Thank goodness he backed out. It wouldn’t have been a good match in my opinion. I still think Ewan would do a good job.
March 28th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
STAND UP FOR YOURSELF, HUNTER! DON’T LET GHOST CONTROL YOUR WRITING!
“Unfortch” is my new favorite word.
March 28th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
There’s one name which immediately came to my mind, Casey Affleck!
His acting skills are stunning, and his age fits just right. I think he would nail this role to perfection.
Would do you think?
March 29th, 2008 at 6:27 am
I agree with John, Christian Bale is one of those guys that can really make a movie glitter even more. Would love to see him in this.
March 29th, 2008 at 8:14 am
This movie has more relevance now than it did when the book was written. The faces in it should represent a wide spectrum. Montag should be someone who can pull off playing a total complete tool for the first part of the story, and then grow a sack and play, not a hero, but someone who’s become totally disillusioned by his place in the machine that he knows he needs to get out. The kind of people I’d look at for Montag are Matt Damon, CASEY Affleck, and John Cusack would be at the top of my list to test.
March 29th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Age notwithstanding…
I could see George Clooney in that role (to make a splash) or maybe (because I’m always thinking of remake-type things I’d like to see him in (e.g. Dirty Dozen)), Ed Harris.
March 29th, 2008 at 11:11 am
@ Thumb
Hah! Whatever, it’s the weekend.
March 29th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Daniel Day Lewis
Clooney was a decent choice
Kevin Spacey
Laurence Fishburne
March 29th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
I like the pic of Casey Affleck but the novel would fit perfectly with Clooney’s m.o.
March 30th, 2008 at 2:35 am
The first person that came to mind was Matt Damon. I think Casey Affleck is also a good choice.
March 30th, 2008 at 9:24 am
the matt damon/ will smith calls are pretty good
March 31st, 2008 at 5:52 am
The Green Mile was just “so-so?”