The film adaptation of the cyberpunk classic 'Neuromancer' simply cannot keep a director. After waiting for almost five years for the project to come into fruition, Vincenzo Natali has decided to leave the movie.
The director has previously claimed that the film was ready to move forward and was simply waiting for the right funding. In an interview with Crave Online, Natali was asked whether the screenplay was almost done. "Oh, the script has been ready for years," he answered. "That's not the holdup. The challenging part of this is putting the money together. It's big movie."
Ironically, the film finally got what it needed right after Natali's departure.
According to Screen Daily, GFM Films has just closed a deal with Chinese company C2M Media Group. The companies will share development and financial responsibilities on 'Neuromancer.'
C2M president Josh Dong is hopeful about the partnership. "'Neuromancer' will be a meaningful co-production," he said. "C2M will collaborate with GFM not only in financing, but also in script development, film production and global distribution."
The book 'Neuromancer' was written by William Gibson and was published in 1984. The novel is about a computer hacker who gets an unexpected offer from a mysterious man named Armitage. 'Neuromancer' has won several awards, including the Hugo Award, the Philip K. Dick Award and the Nebula Award.
The movie has lost several directors over the years. Chris Cunningham had originally wanted to develop the film, however the plan was scrapped. Joseph Kahn was also tapped to direct before Natali signed onto the project.
With Natali out of the picture, 'Neuromancer' producer Lucas Foster is on the hunt for a new director as well as screenwriters.
Natali's directorial debut was the 1997 mathematics thriller 'Cube.' He has worked on other sci-fi movies like 'Cypher,' 'Nothing' and the 2009 Adrian Brody flick 'Splice.' His most recent project was the horror film 'Haunter,' starring Abigail Breslin.
