Neuromancer: Not Quite Hollywood, but Still Expensive

IGN reported Tuesday that Seven Arts Pictures, in conjunction with Prodigy Pictures, will release the film adaptation of William Gibson’s celebrated cyberpunk masterpiece, Neuromancer. Word began circulating about the project as early as March with Vincenzo Natali (Cube, Splice) at the helm, and it now appears he will have $60 million dollars to play with.

Initial feelings on the film appear pensive, a sentiment shared here at Unwinnable. Of major concern is the reception of the film against The Matrix. While fans of the novel will have expectations divorced from the trilogy, the Matrix films “borrowed” extensively from Gibson and there is the potential for those unfamiliar with the source material to approach an adaptation of Neuromancer with undue scrutiny.

But hope always springs eternal. According to Empire, Gibson has declared the script the best he’s read, which should allay any lingering fears until the first trailer is leaked onto the Internet. Furthermore, Empire has reported that Natali is channeling a Gibson-esque aesthetic and not making the film to pander to a Hollywood audience. “There’s something inherently not mainstream about it,” the director states, “and I want to preserve that.”

With the film’s projected budget, Natali’s continued support from Gibson and his apparent drive to produce something philosophically cyberpunk, it seems that, for the moment, Natali is on the right track.

And this reporter is already rereading the novel.

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