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Forget Back To The Future, Apple TV+'s New Sci-Fi Show Is Adapting a Cyberpunk Novel That Got The Future Way More Right
Back to the Future might have done a great job predicting many aspects of the future, but the cyberpunk book Apple TV+’s new sci-fi show is adapting was even better at looking far ahead of its time. In all of its fantastical and fun explorations of time travel, the Back to the Future franchise makes some intriguing guesses about the future.
Although flying cars, as Back to the Future foresaw, are yet to become a part of one’s everyday life, the movie series surprisingly got a lot of things right. For instance, the films accurately show everything from the rise of video communication to the rise of wearable technology and biometric identification.
However, as fascinating as Back to the Future‘s foresight may seem, its depiction of elements from the future does not even come close to being as layered and extensive as the predictions made by a cyberpunk novel. The novel in question is interestingly being adapted by an Apple TV+ sci-fi show.
Upcoming Apple TV+ Show Is Adapting A Cyberpunk Novel That Predicted The Internet
Neuromancer Was One Of The Most Defining Works In Cyberpunk
Long before cyberpunk garnered a more mainstream appeal and became one of the tenets of sci-fi storytelling, William Gibson’s Neuromancer was among the few works that shaped its identity. Terms like “the Matrix,” “Zion,” “jacking in,” and “cyberspace” were first popularized by Neuromancer before they were reimagined in other sci-fi media.
Because it played a crucial role in transforming the sci-fi genre and sparked many discussions surrounding free-market economics and the relationship between social downfall and technological advancement, it is still remembered as one of the most influential books in sci-fi. Interestingly, Neuromancer also made many accurate future predictions.
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The book was among the first few sci-fi works to dabble with ideas surrounding “cyberspace,” a virtual network that allowed people to connect with one another. Although the book’s depiction of “cyberspace” is slightly different from what we call the internet or the World Wide Web today, it is still impressive how it got a lot of it right.
Neuromancer was also among the few sci-fi works that foresaw the use of digital money and black market currencies. Long before shows like Mr. Robot popularized ideas surrounding evil corporate and media domination, Neuromancer used them as effective narrative devices.
Its portrayal of boundless urban sprawls can also be seen as a real-life reflection of growing capitalism and gentrification of life in major cities.
The book also labels massive megacities as “the sprawl” because of how they are endless concrete jungles with a diminishing sense of nature and individuality. Its portrayal of boundless urban sprawls can also be seen as a real-life reflection of growing capitalism and gentrification of life in major cities.
How Neuromancer’s Portrayal Of The Future Compares To Other Popular Sci-Fi Works
Neuromancer Is More Similar To Blade Runner In Tone
When compared to sci-fi movies like Back to the Future, Neuromancer is far grittier and cynical with its portrayal of the future. Its overarching tone seems more in tandem with sci-fi works like Blade Runner and The Matrix because of its dystopian and noir-esque elements.
Interestingly, Neuromancer‘s author, William Gibson, happened to watch Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, which premiered two years before his novel hit the bookshelves. He noticed so many similarities between his book and the Ridley Scott movie that he grew worried audiences would accuse him of copying the film.
Therefore, in Neuromancer‘s graphic novel, he specifically wrote an introduction that clarified how Blade Runner was not a conscious influence. Neuromancer is also thematically similar to movies and shows like Black Mirror and Minority Report with its portrayal of surveillance culture and virtual identities, but it focuses far less on the near future.
Why A Neuromancer Adaptation Has Taken So Long
There Were Several Attempts To Adapt It Into A Film
Surprisingly, despite its sci-fi influence, Neuromancer has not received a screen adaptation until now. Apple TV+’s upcoming show is the book’s first and only live-action adaptation, marking a long-overdue moment in science fiction. What is not surprising, though, is that efforts have been made to bring it to the big screen.
Directors like Chris Cunningham, Vincenzo Natali, and Tim Miller were once believed to be attached to potential movie adaptations of the novel, but none of the projects saw the light of day. Almost four decades after the book’s initial release, it is finally getting a small-screen adaptation.
While only time will tell how the Neuromancer show will turn out, Apple TV+’s success with sci-fi adaptations, like Silo and Dark Matter, gives me hope. The show may not become as big of a sci-fi phenomenon as Back to the Future, but it still seems to have immense potential.
