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Mike Medavoy and Doug McKay, Vice-President of Production at Phoenix Pictures, have teamed up with legendary writer Ray Bradbury, RGI Productions’ Rodion Nahapetov (who is penning the screenplay), and producer Natasha Shliapnikoff to produce the feature film adaptation of Bradbury’s classic novel “Dandelion Wine.”
Bradbury, who turns 91 on Monday remarked, “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.”
Nahapetov stated, “I was deeply honored when Ray Bradbury chose me to write the screenplay adaptation for his novel ‘Dandelion Wine.’ When I began my studies at the Cinema Institute in Moscow, many foreign books were banned in Soviet Russia. Still, I decided to make my short film based upon “Dandelion Wine” because this novel represented to me the childhood I never had. My childhood had been stolen by the ravages and destruction of post World War II Russia and “Dandelion Wine” restored it back for me.”
Medavoy recently produced Martin Scorsese’s SHUTTER ISLAND and the acclaimed BLACK SWAN, which won numerous awards including an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Actress Natalie Portman. He’s currently in production on the high-concept comedy “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” (Starring Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Lopez), which McKay is Co-Producing. “Doug McKay was very instrumental in getting this project launched,” said Bradbury.
Ray Bradbury’s iconic writing (DANDELION WINE, MARTIAN CHRONICLES, FAHRENHEIT 451, among others), has won awards including: The World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement, and most recently, The Commander of Arts and Letters Award from the French government. Bradbury has also received The National Medal of Arts (the highest award from the American government) and an Emmy for the animated version of his novel “Halloween Tree.”
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Thank God Ray! About time! I’ve wanted to see this done for sooo long, ever since I read it back in Nebraska growing up. And then to find it once again while at UCLA’s graduate film school, and thinking that once I got into the system…I’d do an adapt on this myself.
It’s just such a powerful story about everything and so much more than I can even begin to think and feel about, and now that I’ve found out you’ve got Nahapetov doing the adapt…and have it connecting to his own childhood and what he went through…I can’t see anyone else doing it now.
A few suggestions…being a big fan of the book and your great gift at storytelling, Ray:
It’s meant for the big screen…even though to a lot of bean counters and too many so called experts in Hollywood that it may not be big enough? It is. Trust me.
There’s just too many small, little moments with no dialogue…that hold the potential for the greatest of power only the big screen can display.
It’s a period piece. There’s just now way around it. You can’t do any other way.
You just can’t, and I’m sure you all realize this. Again…this was thrown at the bean counters.
You have to go with unknowns in the star roles — the brothers. We want to see this world unfold through their young eyes at that special and very confusing, but always precious times…because that’s how we’ll remember it…just like I’ve done my whole life.
And yes…you’re going to have to go black and white. This is where the bean counters and soo many others will wear you down, Ray. But if you follow the suggestions I gave you…and interweave this myriad of voices and emotions and spirits…it can only really shine in black and white. And stand the test of time as a true Hollywood classic.
Otherwise, you’ll get lost in all the talk of pastels this and pastels that.
This isn’t about the awards for the art department. It’s about making a classic based on emotions becoming memories, simply called the universal spirit. You just can’t put a price tag on that.
You’re going to have to keep as many of the small moments as much as possible.
I always saw the movie unfolding in the book from page one…without cutting a lot of so called waste out of it. I really saw and felt the movie on the page. And if you cut a lot out, because someone is going to tell you it won’t hold right? They’re wrong. It’s not going to be an easy adaptation…but trust me again…if you follow these pages closely, you will see the connections. From page one, to the end…in order.
If you start running it through the calculator? Why even bother?
You’re fucking up a classic then.
Thank god for this post.
I hope everyone involved in this film reads this. I’m sure they were just planning on making a shit movie. Hopefully this can teach them, especially Ray Bradbury, that it’s important to make a “good” movie with “emotions” and “spirit” and not listen to the “bean counters,” a concept I’m sure the author of Fahrenheit 451 knows nothing of.
Is this dude (Mark Georgeff) for real? That’s quite a post. Set the bong down, man.
LOL!! Sorry dude…it’s just a great book to not screw up. I wish I was bonging it. Kinds quit that stuff a few years ago, but as a writer and a fan…when the moment breaks, you go with it.
Ray Bradbury inspired me to be a writer. Hope it works out well.
Mark, thanks for the insightful glimpse into your OCD. Take your Zoloft.
I never read Dandelion Wine. Should I be excited about this? (No, Mark. Put your hand down and let another student answer…)
Oh, c’mon people… I’m sure Mark gave “Ray” a lot to think about. I’m sure Ray read the whole thing, smacked his palm against his forehead and realized that they were about to “fuck up a classic” by not making it a 7 hour film in black and white!! (snicker…)
“Dandelion Wine” is one of the most moving, sentimental (in a good way) books ever written. It never fails to make me feel glad to be alive.
Yes. It should be a movie.
Happy 90th Ray!
Hypothetical Ray Bradbuy:
“We were lost… lost… LOST in the pastels. The pastels!!! Oh, the pastels!!! Why didn’t we listen to Mark!”
This is one of the last stories from a sci-fi legend a la Bradbury/Asimov/Heinlein that hasn’t been contrived over the last 30 years… I’m surprised they haven’t used The Butterfly Effect on an episode of Law & Order SVU… they’re the last hold outs…
Hey, Mark:
I’m sure Ray will hugely appreciate your teachings.
He’s been totally waiting for your enlightened instructions for the last 90 years.
Not to mention the folks at the production who will worship at your feet, and now feel justified for the truck load of Oscars they’ve been hoarding for years.
One humble suggestion though, if I may: should you consider further expanding your enlightened revelations and save Ray from “fucking up” you shoul also instruct him to do the movie not only in B&W, but in silent format, at 16 FPS with title cards, to honor Lumiere and the color blind mutes who populated the Great American Mid West of the 1928 era.
What planed did you say you’re from, Mark?
Guess you ended up polluting our neighborhood ’cause they kicked yo’assuouta Nebraska for smokin’ too much cow pie in the bong.
Happy tripp, dude!
Freddie
Mark, your enthusiasm very nearly mirrors the enthusiasm Ray Bradbury expressed to me on Thursday when I stopped by to wish him a Happy 91st Birthday (his actual birthday is Monday, August 22nd, but that day is reserved for visits by Ray’s four daughters). As Bradbury admirers know all too well, a feature film version of “Dandelion Wine” has been expected for years, but something or someone has always caused the project’s cancellation. Hopefully, with people like Mike Medavoy at the controls, the production may actually happen. For Ray’s sake and the sake of all of his readers, I hope so.
My favorite book ever……hope they can capture it on film.
I read this book decades ago , and I remember it for it’s impressive storytelling . This is probably bouncing of the success of Terence Malick’s tree of Life , but I’m not dissing that ! These are the great quiet dramas that every moviephile loves . It’s the cinematography that leads and tells us someone’s feelings . Another movie , maybe not as grand but also somewhat interesting , will be Paolo Sorrentino’s ‘This must be the Place’ .
Thanks for all ops on my humble ops. If it was read correctly, you’d realize my ops were not directed specifically at Mr. Bradbury…light years ahead of me. His talent and wisdom is so far ahead of majority of Hollywood. They were directed at the Hollywood machine. And what’s it’s done to many great novels. A 2 hour b/w movie is not a 7 hojur b/w movie with title cards. But then again…my ops are just that. Opinions. Nothing more.
Good on you, Mark. Enthusiasm is a wondrous emotion. But really, you’re just a little bit mental, my friend. Black & white? Cast of unknowns? What the hell, why not offer it free in theaters? C’mon kids, put down the video game controllers and park your asses in them theater seats right now, y’all hear? It’s called the movie BUSINESS for a reason, dear heart. Just calm down and practice some gentle acceptance. The talent involved knows what they’re doing, capiche? Finally, I hope you’re not surprised that your heart-felt post was shredded like a head of iceberg lettuce at a Van Nuys In-And-Out at lunchtime. You just keep brandishin’ them ops like shiny Colt .45’s, pard!
I read about this movie-plan in the Shelf Awareness e-newsletter, which linked over to here, and am glad I kept reading and saw all these Comments. Mark, thank you for your thoughtful input and non-defensive reactions to people’s reactions. This has been high entertainment, and now I’m going to go buy the book. BTW, I once worked at a textbook publishing company and was helping with a Reading book for middle-school kids. We decided to include a short short story by Ray Bradbury, and he got very good money for that permission at the time. Good on ‘im!
Ray Bradbury died today. I hope the work on this movie continues, he was apparently thrilled that it was being done. It would be a great tribute to a fine human being. RIP Ray!