All The Joys of Summer Get Shoved Into ‘Dandelion Wine’ Adaptation

By  · Published on August 22nd, 2011

“Dandelion wine. The words were summer on the tongue. The wine was summer caught and stoppered.”

The famous line spoken by the 12-year-old Douglas Spaulding in Ray Bradbury’s “Dandelion Wine” resonates even more clearly this time of year. The blockbusting has all been done, the fall is coming, and there’s little left to do but clean up the spilled popcorn. We’re heading into the contemplative seasons, and we’re heading there with the promise of an adaptation of Bradbury’s most personal work.

According to Deadline Green Town, Phoenix Pictures has optioned the novel and hired Rodion Nahapetov (hand-picked by the 91-year-old Bradbury) to write the script. The story is an almost-plotless look at small town life, the joys and realization of being alive, and just a hint of the fantastic.

Dandelion Wine is still a glimmer in the production company’s eye, though. With a writer on board, they’ve got the ball rolling, but with a tentative release date in 2013 or 2014 and no other information, it’s still got many miles to go before it sees a camera. The novel was previously adapted into a Russian TV movie, but this will be the first American theatrical adaptation of the work.

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