The Most Highly Anticipated Sci-Fi Novel Adaptation Begins Casting For Streaming Series

The BAFTA-nominated Masters of the Air actor Callum Turner is now the new lead star of the upcoming Neuromancer series, where he’ll star as a damaged super-hacker thrust into a web of digital espionage and high-stakes crime. If this actor’s name sounds familiar, that’s because you’ve already seen him in The Borgias, Ripper Street, and Glue, and in the movies Green Room, Assassin’s Creed, and The Only Living Boy in New York. He also played the brother of Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander in two Fantastic Beasts movies.

Neuromancer, for those who aren’t familiar with the title, is a foundational cyberpunk text that has multiple failed movie adaptations under its belt. The novel, first published in 1984, received numerous awards upon release, as it chronicled the journey of Henry Case, a washed-up hacker hired for one last job by a shady, ex-military officer, which brings him in contact with a really powerful artificial intelligence. Given all the hype surrounding AI nowadays, a Neuromancer series sounds like a money machine for AppleTV+.

Neuromancer is rather interesting, as it introduced all the staples of the modern sci-fi genre, like underground computer hackers, cyberspace, and an early incarnation of the matrix. Gibson followed the original with two additional sequels, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive, so if the upcoming Neuromancer series proves to be a hit, there’s plenty of source material to draw from or even make an anthology series.

While many fans of the novel called for a movie adaptation over the years, a Neuromancer series makes much more sense, as it would allow for a deeper exploration of the complex world William Gibson created. Admittedly, it’s not the first adaptation of Gibson’s work since we already got Season 1 of The Peripheral, which was sadly canceled due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. But, there’s reason for optimism associated with Neuromancer because TV does pose a better medium for the exploration of its narrative, and AppleTV+ might actually be the best place for such a thing.

The streamer has somewhat solidified its position in the streaming world as a place where all the exciting and daring sci-fi is, and it’s doing a rather good job of adding more exciting content to the platform. Sure, its market share might be minuscule compared to Netflix or Amazon Prime, but now that the Neuromancer series is scheduled to drop at AppleTV+, we can expect it to grow in popularity. Besides, there really are some good sci-fi series on there, and For All Mankind is surely among them.

As for the Neuromancer series, the details surrounding the production are still scarce, but Apple is likely to share more once the production picks up the pace. Sadly, there’s still no release date associated with the title.