HBO on Monday released the first trailer for its upcoming film adaptation of Fahrenheit 451, the science fiction novel by Ray Bradbury. The story takes place in a dystopian future where reading is against the law and the government's "Firemen" are charged with the ever-symbolic task of burning books. Though the novel was originally published in 1953, it has been invoked in the years since as a criticism of everything from technology to censorship to modern media — which makes HBO's film adaptation "worryingly timely," Gizmodo quipped.
HBO is expected to release Fahrenheit 451 this spring. Michael B. Jordan will play the leading role of Guy Montag, one of the Firemen who eventually breaks rank and joins up with the resistance against the government's no-books policy. But before he flips, Jordan's Montag torches piles of old books with glee — which you can watch in the full trailer below. Shivani Ishwar