Screenwriter Noah Oppenheim Takes On George Orwell’s 1984

1984 may have been 28 years ago, but Ron Howard thinks George Orwell’s novel of the same name is still prescient enough to make a new film version out of. Howard’s Imagine Entertainment has hired screenwriter Noah Oppenheim (The Secret Life of Houdini) to adapt the book into a screenplay, according to Deadline.

The book follows Winston Smith, a man who works at the Ministry of Truth, literally rewriting history as it unfolds. He tries to rebel against this totalitarian society – and the all-seeing Big Brother – by falling in love, which is strictly forbidden.

Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Julie Yorn are producing for Imagine Entertainment. A director has not been attached yet, although there’s a possibility Howard will helm himself if the script is right (and The Dark Tower doesn’t move forward).

Oppenheim is becoming a bit of a remake/adaptation specialist, as he’s also working on new versions on War Games, and a remake of Daniel Espinosa’s Snabba Cash.