Neuromancer movie needs a new director

For some time now, there have been plans to bring William Gibson's cyberpunk classic Neuromancer to the big screen. It's been a bumpy road though, with the current attempt to mount the project dating back to 2010.

That's when writer/director Vincent Natali, who made Cube and Splice, came on board. However, there's been precious little progress in recent years, even though Gibson had apparently approved Natali's screenplay. And now we learn there's been some good news, and some bad news.

On the upside, some fresh financing has been found. Chinese firm C2M Media Group is to co-develop and co-fund the movie, in conjuction with GFM Films. As such, Neuromancer is very much alive and well.

Unfortunately, Natali himself is no longer on board the project, and as a consequence, his screenplay has gone as well. That means it's a bit back to square one, as the hunt is now on for a new writer and director to bring the book to the screen. The film's producer, Lucas Foster (Mr. & Mrs. Smith), is said to be in talks with potential replacements for Natali.

In effect? A big step forward, and a step back as well...

Screen Daily.