By
Dhruv Sharma
Published 6 minutes ago
Dhruv is a Lead Writer in Screen Rant's New TV division. He has been consistently contributing to the website for over two years and has written thousands of articles covering streaming trends, movie/TV analysis, and pop culture breakdowns.
Before Screen Rant, he was a Senior Writer for The Cinemaholic, covering everything from anime to television, from reality TV to movies.
After high school, he was on his way to become a Civil Engineer. However, he soon realized that writing was his true calling. As a result, he took a leap and never looked back.
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One of the most acclaimed action role-playing games from recent years is getting an exciting live-action TV adaptation, but Apple TV's highly anticipated cyberpunk book adaptation will steal its spotlight.
Almost five years ago, an incredible sci-fi role-playing game came out and instantly became a bestseller. Although the game was initially criticized for a few early bugs and glitches, it received a positive response from most gamers and critics. This paved the way for its sequel to be announced.
The game's overwhelming success also set the stage for franchise expansion opportunities, and its live-action TV adaptation is also officially in the works. Unfortunately, even before it comes out, it seems like Apple TV's upcoming cyberpunk show will overshadow it and leave it in the dust.
Apple TV’s Neuromancer Will Premiere Before Cyberpunk 2077’s Live Action
Neuromancer Book Cover
The development of Cyberpunk 2077's live-action was first confirmed in October 2023. It was also revealed that the CD Projekt Red creative team and the Anonymous Content media company were behind its production. This particularly made it promising because the company's CEO and founder, Steve Golin, has been associated with many incredible shows like Mr. Robot and True Detective.
As exciting as the Cyberpunk 2077 live-action may seem, however, it will likely face some stiff competition from Apple TV's upcoming adaptation of William Gibson's Neuromancer. Often touted as one of the most seminal works in sci-fi, Neuromancer played a crucial role in establishing the foundation of the cyberpunk sub-genre and giving it its distinct identity.
Without Neuromancer's influence, some of the most iconic sci-fi movies, like The Matrix, Akira, and Ghost in the Shell, would not even exist the way we know them today. Pulling off a live-action adaptation of such an influential novel is no easy feat, which is one of the biggest reasons why it has taken over 40 years for an adaptation to see the light of day.
However, Apple TV's Neuromancer has a lot going on in its favor. For starters, the book's author, William Gibson, has been directly involved with the show's production. Apple TV's long line of critical and commercial hits in the sci-fi genre also spells a promising future for the show. Not to mention, Graham Roland, known for writing Fringe, Lost, Prison Break, Almost Human, and Jack Ryan, is one of its two creators.
It may seem a little unfair to compare Neuromancer with Cyberpunk 2077, but the two share some stark similarities, and the Apple TV show will have the first-mover advantage because its release seems likely in 2026.
Neuromancer & Cyberpunk 2077 Are Too Similar To Not Be Compared
The creator of the broader Cyberpunk 2020 universe, Mike Pondsmith, has explicitly stated (via Dicebreaker) that he read Neuromancer after the game was published. He confirmed Walter Jon Williams' Hardwired and Ridley Scott's Bladerunner as his key influences. However, even though Neuromancer did not directly influence the game franchise, it shaped the broader cyberpunk genre the video game operates in.
Apart from featuring similar dystopian settings, both unfold in worlds dominated by corrupt mega-corporations and cybernetic technology. The virtual space, "The Net," in Cyberpunk 2077 is also reminiscent of the "Cyberspace/The Matrix" from Neuromancer. In both, "Net-runners" "jack in" themselves to connect to the local networks.
Did You Know: Prime Video's The Peripheral was the first major TV adaptation of a William Gibson novel.
The term Intrusion Countermeasures Electronics (ICE), which was first coined in Neuromancer, is also a major part of Cyberpunk 2077's lore. Even the Street Samurai archetype in Cyberpunk 2077 is based on Neuromancer's Razor Girl. With so many overlaps, it is hard not to see how the Apple TV show would be the video game adaptation's biggest cyberpunk rival.
Neuromancer
Mystery
Drama
Science Fiction
Fantasy
Network
Apple TV+
Showrunner
Graham Roland
Directors
J.D. Dillard
Cast
Callum Turner, Briana Middleton, Joseph Lee, Mark Strong, Clemence Poesy, Peter Sarsgaard, Marc Menchaca, Max Irons
Main Genre
Sci-Fi
Genres
Mystery, Drama, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Creator(s)
Graham Roland, JD Dillard
Executive Producer(s)
Drake, Dana Goldberg, David Ellison, William Gibson, Adel 'Future' Nur, Jason Shrier
Seasons
1
Streaming Service(s)
AppleTV+
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