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99 Homes' director is bringing the thriller to life



HBO's next ambitious television movie will be an adaptation of Ray Bradbury's dystopian literary classic Fahrenheit 451.

The US premium channel is working with 99 Homes director Ramin Bahrani to bring the thriller to the small screen, according to TheWrap.

Fahrenheit 451 is set in an alternate reality where a fireman named Guy Montag begins to doubt his job burning books when he meets the elusive Clarisse McClellan.

Bradbury's theme of censorship and government abuses was inspired by the real-life Red Scare of the 1950s, where suspected Communists often lost jobs and even faced jail time.

A previous film version was made by French New Wave pioneer François Truffaut in 1966.

HBO has had plenty of success with its television movies over the years, with the Drew Barrymore-starring Grey Gardens and Queen Latifah's Bessie among recent Emmy winners.

Next up is the political drama Confirmation – starring Kerry Washington as Supreme Court whistleblower Anita Hill – on April 16.