Neuromancer at a glance:
- Apple TV+ is in production with the series now
- We estimate it will debut next summer at the earliest
- The cast features Callum Turner, Briana Middleton and Mark Strong
Following the adaptations of sci-fi works including Isaac Asimov’s Foundation, Hugh Howey’s Silo, and Martha Wells’ The Murderbot Diaries, the time has finally come for an adaptation of perhaps the most influential cyberpunk text. Neuromancer, a series based on the novel by William Gibson, is coming to Apple TV+.
Despite being hailed as visionary and the inspiration for The Matrix and Cyberpunk 2077, Neuromancer itself has never been filmed. One reason is likely the book’s use of technology and surroundings that make the story resemble a dream or a drug-induced vision.
The creators of the series, therefore, face a daunting challenge. On the one hand, they must convey the writer’s ideas to the screen as accurately as possible. However, they must make the created world understandable to a broad audience. Moreover, they have to create a vision that won’t duplicate what we’ve already seen in previous cyberpunk productions.
Here’s all the information you need on what you can expect from the Apple TV+ sci-fi show.
Is the Neuromancer series based on a book?
Yes. The new Apple TV+ series is based on the so-called Sprawl Trilogy written by American author William Gibson in the 1980s. The series consists of the following novels:
- Neuromancer (1984)
- Count Zero (1986)
- Mona Lisa Overdrive (1988)
The books, set in the near future, follow a world dominated by corporations and advanced technology. In the trilogy, Gibson explores themes of virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and genetic engineering, and analyses their impact on society.
The events take place over 16 years, with each book telling a separate story. The title of the trilogy refers to the Boston-Atlanta Metropolitan Axis, also known as The Sprawl – a megalopolis that extends along the East Coast of the United States.
When could the Neuromancer series be released?
Apple TV+ announced plans to adapt Gibson’s novel in February 2024, but production didn’t kick off until 2025. For now, Apple has revealed only that work on Neuromancer is underway – we don’t know when filming will wrap, but we can take an educated guess on when the series might debut.
The first part of the book is set in Chiba City, Japan, while the second part follows characters as they move to a megalopolis on the east coast of the US and to Istanbul. The final part takes place on two space stations orbiting the Earth. Throughout the book, protagonists also visit cyberspace.
According to Callum Turner and Emma Laird, who star in the series, they began shooting in Tokyo in January 2025. In April 2025, the Neuromancer crew was seen in London filming scenes with one of the main characters, Molly.
It appears that the Neuromancer team has yet to shoot in various big-city locations. Given that part of the plot takes place in cyberspace and on a cosmic station, the special effects and post-production of the series could take a long time.
The first season of Silo debuted on Apple TV+ after one year and nine months of production and post-production. The second season premiered after a year and five months since work on the set began. Neuromancer may require a similar amount of time to release, so we estimate that the series may debut on Apple TV+ in the summer or fall of 2026 at the earliest.
The series will consist of ten episodes.
Who is the crew behind the Neuromancer series?
The series is created by Graham Roland (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Dark Winds) and JD Dillard (Devotion, The Outsider, Sleight). The duo serves as executive producers along with William Gibson himself, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Matt Thunell for Skydance Television; Anonymous Content; Drake, Adel “Future” Nur and Jason Shrier for DreamCrew Entertainment; and Zack Hayden.
Roland is set to serve also as showrunner, and Dillard will direct the pilot episode of the series.
What will the plot of the Neuromancer series be?
The first season of Neuromancer is based on the novel of the same title – the first volume of the Sprawl Trilogy. It follows a young hacker, Case, whose employers punish him by damaging his nervous system after catching him stealing. No longer able to access the virtual reality dataspace known as the matrix, Case dwells in the slums of Chiba City, Japan. One day, he’s approached by Molly, a cybernetically enhanced assassin who has blades beneath her fingernails and lenses implanted in her eye sockets.
Acting on behalf of the mysterious US ex-military officer Armitage, Molly offers Case a cure in exchange for help in a heist. The hacker takes part in stealing a disc that contains human consciousness, and becomes entangled in a case of espionage.
The Sprawl Trilogy is considered one of the most important entries in the cyberpunk genre – terms from Gibson’s work, such as cyberspace and ICE, have entered common usage. However, considering that Neuromancer was written in the 1980s, the creators of the series will certainly modernise the plot, taking into account the technological changes of recent decades.
It’s highly likely that if the first season is successful, Apple will create more, adapting the remaining volumes of William Gibson’s trilogy.
Who is in the cast of the Neuromancer series?
The series’ main character, “a damaged, top-rung super-hacker named Case” is portrayed by Callum Turner, who you may know from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them or Emma.
Molly, “a razor-girl assassin with mirrored eyes”, is played by Briana Middleton, who appeared in The History of Sound.
The cast also includes:
- Mark Strong (Dune: Prophecy) as Armitage
- Joseph Lee (Beef) as Hideo
- Clémence Poésy (The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon) as Marie-France Tessier
- Peter Sarsgaard (Presumed Innocent) as John Ashpool
- Dane DeHaan (American Primeval) as Peter Riviera
- Max Irons (The Little Drummer Girl) as Jean Tessier-Ashpool
- André De Shields (The Instigators) as Julius Deane
- Marc Menchaca (Dexter: Resurrection) as Dixie Flatline
- Emma Laird (The Brutalist)