It’s been a few days since the teaser for Apple TV’s Neuromancer series dropped for the world to see. I’ve seen a mix of “I love it so much” to “this is going to be bad!” because you know… fandom.
I get it. Some of us have been waiting decades for this series to be adapted into live action, and a lot could go wrong. Some have read the books over and over and have formed their ideas, their visions of Chiba and Night City, the BAMA Sprawl, and if they feel it is not true to Gibson’s detailed descriptions, there will be many disappointed fans.
If Molly isn’t every bit the street samurai that she appears to be, or if we can’t smell the humanity and ganja on Zion, then why the hell bother? If the Matrix doesn’t look like 3D geometric shapes and grid-lines, or if the Ono-Sendai decks aren’t looking like boxy 80s computers, then what’s it ALL FOR!?
I’m kidding of course. I’m at a point where I’m grateful they made a series, and William Gibson himself seems very happy with it, so that’s encouraging. My reaction is cautious optimism, because adaptations can be tricky.
My other favorite series of books, The Expanse was adapted to TV. This is genuinely praised as an excellent adaptation of the books. I didn’t fully agree with some of the casting choices, but overall, The Expanse is a great example of an adaptation that works.
On the other hand, the adaptation of the book Ready Player One missed the mark for me. I get the feeling that many who read the book (or in my case listened to the audiobook a few dozen times) were not fond of the movie. While those who only saw the movie LOVED it.
Adaptations can be subjective. In the case of Neuromancer, even if we don’t get the gritty, lived-in, neon-soaked technoir that’s been living in my head for nearly 15 years, I can still watch it with an open mind.
I’m ready to jack-in.
