Sources close to Ray Bradbury say the unofficial poet laureate of science fiction and space travel is likely to make a full recovery from a recent stroke, entertainment daily Variety reported Friday.
In Amy Archerd's exclusive "Just for Variety" column, the newspaper said Bradbury's friend and longtime collaborator John Dayton had visited the writer and reported he is as "sharp as ever" after suffering a stroke, which left him partially paralyzed on the right side, on November 7.
Film producer Dayton said he is continuing to develop The Martian Chronicles, Bradbury's haunting reverie of interplanetary travel and the human condition, as a film in collaboration with the author.
Universal has already signed on to distribute the film, while Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment has been reported as a likely bet for production company. Spielberg, busy with the late Stanley Kubrick's long-running "A.I." project and other ventures, is unlikely to direct.
Bradbury himself seems the natural choice to adapt his own work for the screen, and he has in fact reportedly finished at least one full draft of a screenplay.
The 79-year-old author was briefly hospitalized after the stroke, but he is now recovering at home in Palm Springs, California. Variety reported that he is expected to regain full use of his faculties.
Fans wishing to send Bradbury cards and letters of support may do so through his publisher, Avon Books:
Ray Bradbury
c/o Avon Books
1350 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10019
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