FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Entertainment

Michael B. Jordan Questions His Reality in the New 'Fahrenheit 451' Trailer

HBO's adaptation of Ray Bradbury's dystopia airs on May 19.

Michael B. Jordan has really been bringing the heat lately, first by destroying teenagers' retainers as Killmonger in Black Panther, and now, more literally, as a fireman in HBO's Fahrenheit 451.

The movie adaptation of Ray Bradbury's 1953 novel doesn't come out until May 19, but the full-length trailer HBO dropped on Thursday gives us more of a taste of what's to come. In it, Michael B. Jordan's character, Guy Montag, grapples with his role in burning "almost every physical book in the country" alongside his fire captain, Beatty (Michael Shannon). Even while taking what appear to be mind-controlling eye drops, Montag starts to question "why we burn."

The new trailer takes us into a not-so-far-off future, based on the dystopia Bradbury imagined, where children don't know what books are, holographic advertisements scream at us at every turn, and people are controlled by pharmaceuticals. Even still, Montag can't help but question his reality and appears to find himself among a cohort of rebels trying to restore knowledge to the world.

The film, directed by Ramin Bahrani, debuts on HBO next month. Until then, enjoy clips of Michael B. Jordan brooding about the "insanity" of books above.

Sign up for our newsletter to get the best of VICE delivered to your inbox daily.

Follow Lauren Messman on Twitter.