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Vincenzo Natali Confirmed to Direct Neuromancer Adaptation

by Alex Billington
June 10, 2010
Source: Press Release

Seven Arts Pictures released a press release (via Quiet Earth) today officially announcing that filmmaker Vincenzo Natali will be directing their upcoming adaptation of William Gibson's seminal science fiction novel Neuromancer. It was first revealed a couple of weeks ago that Natali was the latest to step into the director's chair after Joseph Kahn (Torque) had developed a version of the film for a few years, apparently with Hayden Christensen attached. This new version is set to go into pre-production early next year up in Toronto, but we don't know how soon it will start shooting, since I'm guessing it has a very long way to go.

No word on budget, but Prodigy Pictures is financing and producing in conjunction with Telefilm Canada. Seven Arts sees Neuromancer as part of a potential multi film series, as many of Gibson's sci-fi novels have yet to be adapted to the big screen. "After seeing [Vincenzo's] work, especially his cutting edge use of effects with Splice, we feel that he has both the story telling ability and the command of the visual medium to give this film the treatment it deserves. In Vincenzo's hands we think Neuromancer will realize William Gibson's extraordinary vision of the future while being a big draw at the box office," says Peter Hoffman.

Neuromancer is the story of a washed-up computer hacker hired by a mysterious employer to work on the ultimate hack. Although this is just a rehash of the original news from last month, since it was pretty much already confirmed then, I want to gauge everyone's interest now that Splice has been released. That movie has been polarizing readers and I'm curious if people are still excited to see Natali take on Neuromancer. I know I am, as I'm still a big fan of Natali, and I think he'll do a great job with this. What do you think?

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meatcarnage

I think that he should stay away from movies after splice. Or any sex scenes whatsoever.
http://movies.iconocritic.com peloquin

Natali is a pure genius so I can't wait to see his take on this. I've enjoyed every single one of his films immensely with my favorite being Cypher. He knows how to dial an audience into whatever feeling he wants them to have, including discomfort during a sex scene which he was able to do during Splice brilliantly. If you left Splice feeling dirty and cheated then he did accomplished exactly what he set out to do in the same way that you left Cube feeling confused.
shige

Neuromancer is extremely hard to bring on-screen because most of the action is not your typical hollywood explosion bullshit. Doubt anyone could succeed.
Fox

"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." Translating this sort of stuff to visual imagery, good or bad, is the key to make a movie as important as Blade Runner (if not even more), or as forgettable as Johnny Mnemonic. God, I do hope that Neuromancer doesn't look cheap, and that Natali is up to the task.
Luis M

And by "multi film series" I'm hoping he's talking about the sprawl trilogy of books (Neuromancer, Count Zero, and Mona Lisa Overdrive), and not just extending the Neuromancer book.
Eric

So Natali was actually involved with Johnny Mnemonic as a storyboard artisit, if that does anything for anyone. I hated Mnemonic, and feel like many that this book (one of my all time favorites) is pretty much unfilmable. However, if it is done even half well without copmpletely gutting and re-writing it I would be pleased. Of course I liked 'I am Legend', till the ending futzed it up. Of course that's a movie that would be easy for anyone with ball sto do properlly. So I'll hope for a half good film that's not a complete fuck up. Which means hold Hayden Christian at gun point in a locked underground bunker while this film is being made.
SlashBeast

Another film that's doomed to fail because everything has been influenced by it and already made it's way into popular consciousness. Neuromancer was revolutionary as it overturned science fiction with its noir mood, gritty realism, and dystopian outlook. Now, all of that is commonplace. Many of it's story elements have already been represented with The Matrix and Ghost in the Shell
http://www.jordanmontreuil.com Jordan Montreuil

I hope he doesn't make this because I want to. This film will be the pinnacle of my career. Or the downfall of it. Either way, I want to make this movie.
Glass

^ You'll never get to, you nobody.
Jay

I really don't think, that he will be the good one for this.. Neuromancer would need a director, who is much better with "words" and characthers than Natali. I also think (and hope that I'm wrong) that Neuromancer, or at least the atmosphere of the book is really hard to capture on film..