1. Fahrenheit 451
I’m shocked that no remake has appeared for this Ray Bradbury classic about a dystopian society where firemen burn books. The 1966 François Truffaut version is painfully dated, and the less said about Julie Christie’s acting talents, the better.
Though Equilibrium stole heavily from this title, not many people really liked or even remember Equilibrium anyway, so it wouldn’t be much of a problem to bring Fahrenheit 451 back to the big screen. The potential for greatness with this story is sky high, especially if a talented director and cast took on the challenge. A filmmaker like Children of Men’s Alfonso Cuarón could turn it into a veritable work of art with ambitious long takes and a focus on the grittiness of the future setting.
I’m of the opinion that Moon director Duncan Jones could give Fahrenheit 451 a unique, introspective spin without sacrificing any of the source material’s tension or scope. Or maybe a mostly wordless remake by Terrence Malick is the way to go. Anyway you spin it, a remake of Fahrenheit 451 could bring Bradbury’s startling vision and timeless message of censorship to a whole new generation, perhaps surpassing Truffaut’s version with more skilled actors and cutting-edge special effects to enhance the story.
That’s it for my list. What do you agree with, and what don’t you think I got right? Are there any films that could benefit from a remake, or is trying to update movies always a terrible idea? Sound off in the comments section below.
