William Gibson’s cyberpunk novel ‘Neuromancer’ is finally gathering up steam and may actually be in the process of finally getting made. According to Moviehole, Mark Wahlberg and Liam Neeson were offered roles to bring the novel to the big screen.
‘Neuromancer’ is credited for launching the cyberpunk movement and influenced countless of sci-fi tales since its publication in 1984. The book won rave reviews and even earned the holy trinity of science fiction novel awards: the Philip K. Dick Award, the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award.
Set in the futuristic dystopian city of Chiba City, Japan, ‘Neuromancer; follows the gifted but now burned computer hacker named Case who had his nervous system sabotaged by a myotoxin to prevent him from “jacking” into cyberspace as a punishment for stealing. Here’s a short synopsis of the book courtesy of Amazon:
Case was the hottest computer cowboy cruising the information superhighway–jacking his consciousness into cyberspace, soaring through tactile lattices of data and logic, rustling encoded secrets for anyone with the money to buy his skills. Then he double-crossed the wrong people, who caught up with him in a big way–and burned the talent out of his brain, micron by micron. Banished from cyberspace, trapped in the meat of his physical body, Case courted death in the high-tech underworld. Until a shadowy conspiracy offered him a second chance–and a cure–for a price….
Mark Wahlberg has been reportedly offered to star in the film as Case while Liam Neeson is said to be offered the role of Armitage, the mysterious ex-military figure who offers to cure Case if he participates in a secret mission against the powerful Tessier-Ashpool family and the artificial intelligence known as Wintermute.
The film has been in development for years since it was optioned in 2007. The recent announcements that Lorenzo di Bonaventura is now on board as a producer, Vincenzo Natali is set to direct and the screenplay is being approved by the novel’s author, Gibson, as one of the best adaptations of his work that he’s read has cyberpunk fans ready to see this project go into production. Although the deal is on the table and nothing official has been confirmed, if Neeson and Wahlberg do sign on, expect ‘Neruomancer’ to start production sometime in the early part of next year for a 2014 release.
