"Unfilmable" sci-fi novel being adapted for television

#1
Magical Realist Online
"An adaptation of a revolutionary science-fiction book previously considered “unfilmable” finally has a teaser trailer, promising fans “the next chapter”.

Apple TV’s Neuromancer is based on the 1984 cyberpunk classic by author William Gibson. Set in a near-future dystopia, the story follows a computer hacker enlisted into a crew by a powerful artificial intelligence and a traumatised former soldier to complete a high-stakes heist.

Ten episodes were ordered in February 2024 from showrunner Graham Roland, whose previous credits include cult hits Lost and Fringe, and director JD Dillard.

The complex nature of the experimental novel, which often confounds new readers, has led many to believe an adaptation would have been too challenging to pull off. But for those wondering if Gibson had approved it: the 78-year-old writer is on hand as executive producer and creative consultant.

There’ll be more eyes on Neuromancer than ever before, thanks to the casting of Callum Turner, an actor whose profile has risen considerably in the last year. Turner recently married pop star Dua Lipa and is a hotly tipped contender to become the new James Bond.

The teaser trailer doesn’t give much away, but it sets up the vibe of the ready-made cult hit. It shows a computer monitor emblazoned with the opening words of the novel: “The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.”

This could mean that the series will be going beyond the pages of Gibson’s source material, which is part of the Stream trilogy. However, the plot description remains loyal to the book: “A hacker and an assassin are thrust into a web of high-stakes crime as they take aim at a corporate dynasty.”

Should the show become a success for the streamer, the other two novels in the series – Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive – could also be adapted."--- https://www.the-independent.com/arts-ent...UwU3yaz0zQ
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#2
C C Offline
(Today 02:09 AM)Magical Realist Wrote: [...] Should the show become a success for the streamer, the other two novels in the series – Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive – could also be adapted."--- https://www.the-independent.com/arts-ent...10291.html

I only read the first one, and that was a long time ago.

Well, if it were instead a movie and anywhere but AppleTV, we know what would happen there. If the production team had not modified it enough for a "modern audience", the execs would have shut down the project like Amazon did with the revival of Stargate. But if the identity-flipping of the characters and the writers selected on the basis of DEI qualifications are satisfactory enough for the suits, then that potentially leads to a wave of bad reviews and drop in viewership.

But it is television (which doesn't need anything remotely close to box office numbers), and AppleTV has a reputation for not giving a damn about either losing money or making it. So it probably has a good chance of getting a second season.

Plus, the original novel was neck-deep in socioeconomic, allegorical messaging, anyway. Can't fault that for being preserved, though screen adaptations often clumsily turn such covertness into overt preachy sermons, as well as adjusting it to contemporary political fixations like The Boys did (Zzzzzzz...).

And Emma Laird (she was in Taylor Sheridan's "Mayor of Kingstown") talks about being attracted to the scripts, so maybe it dodged the stereotypical drop in quality. Which jibes with other AppleTV items like Widow's Bay, Pluribus, Severance etc (maybe those also retained a few "privileged" veteran writers).

The teaser below makes one wonder if it's going to be retro-future via retaining the technological appearance of the 1980s (Alien: Earth did something similar). But the Molly glimpse indicates otherwise.

Molly seen for the first time ... https://youtu.be/Gs6wSl-2ILo

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/Gs6wSl-2ILo

Teaser ... https://youtu.be/OvNCSw_gXXI

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/OvNCSw_gXXI
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