Get ready for another flurry of dystopian science-fiction on the big screen, folks. With The Hunger Games expected to do gangbusters at the box office this weekend, studios are scrambling to find similar properties that might be able to capitalize on its success. Over at Imagine Entertainment, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer have taken it upon themselves to revisit the granddaddy of them all, George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. No word yet on if this is a project that Ron Howard wants to direct himself, but strangely, street artist Shepard Fairey will be involved in some capacity after helping them secure the rights to the book. Word on the street is that he may take on a producer role in the film.

According to THR, Imagine Entertainment was negotiating for the rights to Orwell’s seminal novel separately from Julie Yorn of LBI Entertainment, so they decided to team up and develop the new movie together. The article states that Shepherd Fairey was “instrumental” in bringing the rights to Imagine and LBI, although it’s not quite clear what that means. Fairey is best known for the Barack Obama “Hope” poster, so perhaps his interest in propaganda (he also did the “Obey” sticker campaign) makes him a valuable asset to modernizing the story.

Nineteen Eighty-Four has been adapted for the screen numerous times previously, but the most well-known version is probably Michael Radford’s film starring John Hurt, which was actually released in 1984. That version is decent, but I’ve always thought that this story was ripe for a modern remake. The subject matter is more relevant than ever, from concepts like Big Brother and thoughtcrime to the idea of the government controlling the media and a perpetual war that powers the economy. What do you think, are you interested in a new take on Nineteen Eighty-Four or should they just leave it alone?