Neuromancerjust added a genre veteran to its cast.Mark Strong, most recently seen inThe PenguinandDune: Prophecy, will star in the long-awaited cyberpunk TV series.Deadline reportsthat Strong will play Armitage, the main character’s mysterious employer.
Strong joins a cast that already includesCallum Turner(Masters of the Air) as Case,Briana Middleton(The Inheritance) as Molly, andJoseph Lee(Beef) as Hideo; Turner replacesMiles Teller, who was initially set to star.Graham Roland(Dark Winds) andJD Dillard(Devotion) are adapting Canadian writerWilliam Gibson’s 1984 novel, with Skydance Television, Anonymous Content and Apple Studios co-producing; the series will premiere on Apple TV+. The imposing, bald-pated Strong is a frequent presence in genre films,often playing villains; examples includeSherlock Holmes,Green Lantern,Shazam, andKingsman: The Secret Service. He recently played pivotal roles on the HBO seriesThe PenguinandDune: Prophecy, and will next be seen in theJoe CarnahanactionerShadow Force, andDoug Liman’sEverest, a dramatization ofGeorge Mallory’s attempts to climb the world’s tallest peak.
What Is ‘Neuromancer’ About?
Neuromancertakes place in a dystopian future where much of humanity’s day-to-day lives take place in cyberspace. It centers around Case, a former hacker whose punishment for stealing from his employer was having his nervous system damaged, locking him out of cyberspace. He’s approached by Molly Millions, a cyborg “razorgirl,” who’s been hired by the mysterious Armitage to help him commit a digital heist. That brings them into contact with the eccentric family of aristocrats, the Tessier-Ashpools, and their ninja bodyguard, Hideo. The twisting plot eventually leads Case to Armitage’s true identity, digital echoes of his long-dead friends, and an immensely powerful artificial intelligence known as Neuromancer. The novel was enormously influential to thecyberpunk genre, with films likeGhost in the Shell,The Matrix, andInceptionall owing something to Gibson’s visionary work.
There have been attempts to filmNeuromancersince its first publication in 1984; until now, none have come to fruition.Chris Cunningham,Joseph Kahn(Detention), andTim Miller(Deadpool) were attached to the project at various times. However, two other Gibson works set in the same fictional universe have been adapted to film:Johnny Mnemonic, which starredKeanu Reevesas the titular data courier, andAbel Ferrara’sNew Rose Hotel, which starredChristopher WalkenandWillem Dafoe.
Neuromanceris in production;no release date has yet been announced. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
Neuromancer
