Sci-fi fans have longed for one book adaptation for quite some time. While the adaptation’s future remains unknown, Apple TV‘s upcoming cyberpunk show will help scratch the itch with a world as ambitious and thought-provoking.
Apple TV already has an incredible line-up of acclaimed and commercially successful sci-fi shows. Its latest addition to the genre, Pluribus, has also joined the ranks by becoming its best sci-fi show in terms of critical scores. However, it looks like the streaming service is only getting started with its sci-fi TV domination.
One of Apple TV’s most anticipated upcoming sci-fi shows not only adapts a seminal cyberpunk novel but also fills the longing for an epic unrealized book adaptation.
Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash Will Likely Get A TV Adaptation, But It Isn’t Happening Anytime Soon
Soon after its publication in 1992, Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash was optioned for an adaptation. Unfortunately, its adaptation never got past the pre-production stage. Over the years, there have been conversations about the book’s movie and TV adaptations and even its rights have gone from one studio to another. Its production wheels, however, have just not started moving.
At some point, Amazon Studios and HBO Max had also acquired it. According to the last update from Neal Stephenson himself, it was reverted to Paramount and Kennedy/Marshall, but its future remains uncertain. Since Stephenson assured (via CNBC) that “a lot of people want to see it happen,” it is hard not to hope that it will someday see the light of day.
Apple TV’s Neuromancer Will Ease The Wait For Snow Crash
Although distinct in tone, both Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash and William Gibson’s Neuromancer share the same cyberpunk DNA. After Neuromancer defined the terms of the cyberpunk genre, Snow Crash borrowed many of them by featuring a similar dystopian world ridden by “high tech, low life.” Like Neuromancer‘s cyber world, The Matrix, Snow Crash also features its own digital realm called The Metaverse.
Even when it comes to character beats, Snow Crash has everything from a Street Samurai/Razor Girl to a morally ambiguous hacker as its lead. Both stories also highlight how mega corporations dominate the world and pull all the strings from behind the scenes. Snow Crash is relatively more comical and maximalist with its political undertones, but it would be fair to say that Apple TV’s Neuromancer will ease the wait for its adaptation’s release.
Neuromancer’s Success On Apple TV Could Improve The Odds Of A Snow Crash TV Show
If Neuromancer succeeds on Apple TV, it could encourage the streaming service to adapt William Gibson’s follow-up books, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive. At the same time, it could also pave the way for other streamers to pick up other iconic sci-fi and cyberpunk books, like Snow Crash, for TV adaptations.
Considering Apple TV’s success with sci-fi adaptations, it seems likely that Neuromancer will not disappoint. The fact that William Gibson has been directly involved with its production makes it even more promising. Hopefully, it will become Apple TV‘s next big sci-fi and set the stage for Snow Crash to finally get a major adaptation.
Neuromancer
- Network
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Apple TV+
- Showrunner
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Graham Roland
- Directors
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J.D. Dillard
