Callum Turner to Lead 'Neuromancer' for Apple TV+

There are few seminal novels in the world of science fiction and fantasy that have not gotten on-screen treatment. The Lord of the Rings, for example, revolutionized fantasy, and Peter Jackson's films are still considered the definitive versions. Dune literally changed science fiction from Princesses on Mars to empires ruling galaxies far, far away, and while David Lynch's failure meant it took a while for a good version to reach audiences, Denis Villeneuve has now rectified that. But no one has ever dared take on William Gibson's Neuromancer until now, with Apple TV+'s bottomless coffers offering up an adaptation that's sure to hook fans of the novel that invented cyberpunk.

This isn't the first "unfilmable" book Apple has taken on; it's poured money into Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, which has two seasons so far and a third on the way. Foundation is one of those "British-ish" series, an American book, American producers, and a Jared Harris-led international cast with several other London-based actors. it's one of those shows that straddles the line between something Telly Visions should cover and something that really doesn't fit our wheelhouse. 

However, Neuromancer is a little more on the commonwealth side of the divide. Though born in America, William Gibson has spent most of his life as a Canadian citizen. The novel is not set in America but in cyberspace, Japan, Istanbul, and other non-Western locales. And perhaps most importantly, the series has cast Callum Turner (The Capture) as the show's anti-hero lead.

Here's the series synopsis:

Neuromancer follows a damaged, top-rung super-hacker named Case, who is thrust into a web of digital espionage and high stakes crime with his partner Molly, a razor-girl assassin with mirrored eyes, aiming to pull a heist on a corporate dynasty with untold secrets.

Turner is the only cast member so far, but more are expected to be announced in due course. 

As Gibson's debut novel, Neuromancer is considered one of the most groundbreaking science fiction novels ever written, inventing the cyberpunk genre. It also invented terms that we use today without thinking, including "cyberspace" to describe the internet (which did not exist when the novel was written). It is actually theorized that those who read Gibson's book were influenced by his visions of the future and that it influenced how the internet wound up being formatted and influenced the World Wide Web as we know it today.

Graham Roland (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan) and JD Dillard (The Outsider) are creating the series for television. It is a co-production between Skydance Television, Anonymous Content, and Apple Studios. Drake’s DreamCrew Entertainment will also produce it. Roland will serve as showrunner, and Dillard will direct the pilot episode.

Neuromancer is expected to start filming later in 2024 and stream on Apple TV+ in 2025.