Ray Bradbury‘s rich literary output has been the source for many film adaptations over the years. Recently, his short-story work has been a hot topic in the world of page-to-screen adaptations — just check out the writer’s IMDb page, where nearly every year of the 2000s saw a new Bradbury short story adapted into film. But his full-length works aren’t out of the woods just yet, as Mike Medavoy and Doug McKay are set to produce an adaptation of Bradbury‘s semi-autobiographical book Dandelion Wine, which was published back in 1957. [Variety]
You may or may not recognize Medavoy‘s name, but he’s currently the chairman of Phoenix Pictures, an outlet responsible for plenty of quality films, including The Thin Red Line, Zodiac, Shutter Island, and the recent Oscar heavyweight Black Swan. Rodion Nahapetov, who will write the screenplay, is also signed on to produce alongside Natasha Shliapnikoff.
It’s nice to know that this announcement was confirmed only three days before Bradbury‘s 91st birthday. He couldn’t have been more ecstatic, responding to the news by saying, “This is the best birthday gift I could ask for. Today, I have been reborn! ‘Dandelion Wine’ is my most deeply personal work and brings back memories of sheer joy as well as terror. This is the story of me as a young boy and the magic of an unforgettable summer which still holds a mystical power over me.”
The book, as Bradbury describes it above, sounds fascinating, and I’m wondering whether or not I’ll dive into it before or after I take in the big-screen version. Either way, this is a project with loads of potential, and if it turns out well, it’ll not only add to Bradbury‘s prestige, but also that of Mike Medavoy‘s Phoenix Pictures.
Have you read Dandelion Wine? What do you think of the Bradbury adaptations of years past?