I read it somewhere, about a month a half ago. Now I understand that Darabont's 'Indiana Jones 4' script was rejected, and I recall talk about same fate for 'Fahrenheit 451' as well. If I have gotten these two confused, please take me out in the back and shoot me. However, a 'google' search turns nothing up that's recent. Everything posted about the 451 script by Frank D. seems ancient compared to what needs to be known now.

So, I'll keep looking to find out what the story is. If anyone comes up with anything, please post it. Thanks. If Sam Weller glances thru these pages and knows something, that would be nice of him to put in info to get (me) us straight on this one.

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending the 3rd Annual Midwest Literary Festival in Aurora, Illinois. There were close to 100 authors there throughout the weekend, speaking on a variety of topics and doing book signings. One of the best sessions I sat in on was a panel discussion called "From Page to Screen." It included Stephen J. Cannell (A-Team, 21 Jump Street, and tons of books), Catherine Lanigan (introduced as "The Queen of Romance," and author of Romancing the Stone, Jewel of the Nile, and many more), Jay Bonansinga (The Killing Game), and Ken Atchity (author of non-fiction books about how to get your book made into a screenplay). They all discussed their writing routines, but mostly they discussed their experiences with their books being made into movies and TV shows. They were fascinating as well as funny, with many great stories to tell about all the Hollywood hotshots, but one thing they all agreed on was that there is a kind of "Development Hell," where books whose rights have been purchased by a studio can languish for sometimes over 20 years. They said there are so many great stories that are caught in this limbo for a variety of reasons, such as studio heads changing, directors being fired, the all too famous "creative differences," and more. And once an author sells his/her book rights to a studio, there is nothing that can be done about it, even if it just sits there for years on end. It made me sad to think of the good books I've read over the years that might make good movies, but are possibly sitting in this limbo, perhaps never to emerge from it. I hope this is not what is happening to Fahrenheit, but it's beginning to sound that way. It would be a real crime.

"Sound of Thunder" was one of my fave stories when I first read it and when I saw what they did to the T-Rex (photo is in Starlog) I was upset and so, sorry, maybe when out on DVD, but no, I suspect that Ray Bradbury's story most liley not the same.
Pam
http://FantasticDreams.50megs.com

Movie options can and do run out, and can then be purchased by someone else. Such was the case with "The Milagro Beanfield War," which was filmed with high acclaim: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095638/

"Seven Alone" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073686/ was supposedly optioned during the silent film era and not made for fifty years. Never mind that by then the author was long since dead and this piece of psuedo-historical drivel should never have been made at all, it's just an example.

As for the "Fahrenheit 451" remake, I don't know whether the option ran out or was sold to someone else, but it has changed hands in recent years.

It is always a shaky proposition from the start to create a good full-length feature film from a short story...
Not impossible, just difficult. The writer(s) have to fill in a lot of screen time.

Here are a few still pics for the ill-fated movie. The catchiest image for me was the Dunkin' Donuts ad on the wall - Pic #6. Now where does that play in during the original story?

All the anticipation for months on this board...for naught!

http://www.hollywood.com/movies/photogallery/nav/1/id/2443454/b/n/ctr/31/idx/1

Maybe the Dunkin' Donuts ad replaces the sign that says "Time Safari Inc"...

I haven't seen the film - we probably won't get to see it here it the UK if it's as bad as people say (it'll be a "straight to DVD" release). Perhaps the Ray Bradbury Theater version is destined to be the definitive visualisation of the story, rubber dinosaur and all.

Maybe this thread on the theatrical release should start to concentrate on the DVD release.