These days, if you’re an epic sci-fi story looking to be told, there’s only one destination: Apple TV+. From popular novels like Foundation and Silo to originals like For All Mankind and Severance, the streamer is a haven for weird, bold sci-fi. Which is why it feels like the perfect, natural home for William Gibson’s Neuromancer.
The landmark 1984 cyberpunk novel has been on Hollywood’s wishlist for decades, with multiple filmmakers attempting to bring it to the big screen. Now, it’s coming to a smaller screen, but in a longer format. Graham Roland (Dark Winds) and J.D. Dillard (Devotion) have teamed up to adapt the novel for Apple TV+, which has given them a 10-episode series order.
“We’re incredibly excited to be bringing this iconic property to Apple TV+,” Roland and Dillard said in a statement. “Since we became friends nearly 10 years ago, we’ve looked for something to team up on, so this collaboration marks a dream come true. Neuromancer has inspired so much of the science fiction that’s come after it and we’re looking forward to bringing television audiences into Gibson’s definitive ‘cyberpunk’ world.”
That world follows a futuristic hacker on a secret mission against an advanced artificial intelligence. Which, admittedly, sounds kind of familiar, but that’s because, as Roland and Dillard said, the novel was so influential. Plus, Gibson followed it up with two sequels—Count Zero in 1986 and Mona Lisa Overdrive in 1988— so this could go on for longer than just a season.
It’s a pair that feels perfectly up for the challenge, too. In addition to creating Dark Winds, Roland was a writer on Lost and a writer-producer on Fringe. Dillard has written and directed several features, including the criminally underrated genre films Sleight and Sweetheart. They’ll both produce the series with Roland showrunning and Dillard directing at least the pilot.
So, is this the one? Do you think Neuromancer is finally going to get the adaptation it deserves? Let us know below.
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