Working Draft Screenplay

Leviathan '99: A Screenplay for the IMAX Theater and SON.Y [Corrected Typescript]

Bradbury, Ray

Notes: Leviathan '99 was the working title for Ray Bradbury's effort to adapt Moby-Dick for the space age. He spent four decades on the project, translating his ideas into different genres, beginning with a radio play in 1968 and ending with a novella in 2007. He also wrote stage play and opera versions, as well as this screenplay, which seems to be unrecorded. This 87-leaf working draft is assembled from a hodge-podge of sources, including word processing printouts, one of Bradbury's holiday broadsides, and faxes sent to and from his daughter. Bradbury has corrected, added, and deleted words by hand from almost every page.

The basis of the screenplay seems to be the radio play written in the late 1960s, rather than the later stage play or opera versions. Bradbury's extensive changes, while keeping much of the dialog intact, offer an interesting look at how he reconceptualized the story from the purely auditory radio version to one intended to encompass both sound and image. The first page of the screenplay has two handwritten notes by Bradbury: "This version finished and sent for re-typing on Wed. March 16th 1994!" and "Is sent with love to Pat & Herb Yellin!" A note handwritten at the end of the typescript directs Bradbury's daughter to "fax all pages," presumably to the typist. Immediately after faxing, Bradbury apparently sent this working copy to his friend, collector, and publisher Herb Yellin (of Lord John Press) as the accompanying envelope is also dated March 16, 1994.

While this screenplay was never produced, Bradbury got his start in motion pictures with the screenplay credit for John Huston's film Moby Dick (1956). He wrote many episodes of television series and his work has been adapted for film and TV on dozens of occasions (IMDB lists more than 100).

The components of this complete screenplay typescript are:

- 14 typescript leaves photocopied on green paper, with handwritten changes on every leaf;
- Broadside of "A Christmas Wish 1993" with one stanza marked for insertion into the screenplay;
- 17 typescript leaves photocopied on green paper, with handwritten changes on every leaf;
- 1 fax leaf with deletions marked by hand;
- 9 leaves photocopied on white paper; with handwritten changes on every leaf;
- 1 fax leaf with a hand drawn arrow;
- 4 leaves photocopied on white paper; with handwritten changes on every leaf;
- 1 leaf of original digitally printed typescript, with handwritten changes;
- 1 leaf of photocopied typescript on white paper, with handwritten changes;
- 1 note to Bradbury's daughter with a drawing asking her to fax pages.
- 7 leaves of fax copy typescript, with handwritten changes on every leaf;
- 15 leaves of photocopied typescript on white paper, with handwritten changes on every leaf;
- 15 leaves of fax copy typescript, with handwritten changes on most leaves.

Substantial Bradbury manuscripts are uncommon on the market.

Edition + Condition: The sheets are very good to fine. The fax copies are probably unstable for the long run (preservation photocopies are supplied). With the original purple mailing envelope.

Publication: 1994.

Item No: #361050

Price: $4,750