William Gibson’s 1984 novel Neuromancer helped establish the cyberpunk genre, fusing detective story tropes with a version of a dark near future packed with cyborgs and hackers navigating cyberspace. There have been numerous attempts at film adaptations of the book, with abandoned projects involving music video director Chris Cunningham, Deadpool’s Tim Miller and Cube director Vincenzo Natali. But after more than a decade of development hell, a 10-episode Apple TV Plus series is officially in the works.
The problem with adapting a book this influential is that it can seem derivative rather than foundational. Gibson coined the concept of “the matrix” as a name for an immersive cyber world, setting the stage for The Matrix films and their successors like Ready Player One. Neuromancer explores the perils of artificial intelligence and extreme wealth inequality over the course of a high-tech heist, elements that might feel too familiar to anyone who’s watched Altered Carbon or Blade Runner 2049 or played Cyberpunk 2077.
Apple TV Plus used the 41st anniversary of Neuromancer’s publication to release a very simple teaser trailer for the show. It uses a flickering neon sign to provide a first look at Chatsubo, an expat bar in Japan frequented by the book’s super hacker protagonist Case, who will be played by Callum Turner of Masters of the Air. With the help of the cyborg assassin Molly (Briana Middleton) he’ll try to pull a heist on a corporation with deep secrets. Graham Roland (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan) will serve as showrunner, with JD Dillard (Devotion) directing the pilot.
No premiere date has been set yet. Hopefully by the time it is, Apple viewers won’t be too tired of cyberpunk stories or our increasingly cyberpunk-flavored reality.
