Apple Just Stole One Dune Star For It’s Next Big Cyberpunk Show
Neuromancer has found its anti-hero.
In William Gibson’s seminal cyberpunk novel Neuromancer, a down-and-out hacker named Case is given one last chance to get back in the game. His ally in all of this is the razor-girl Molly Millions, but the guy brokering the deal is a shadowy figure named Armitage. And now, in the highly-anticipated Apple TV+ adaptation of Neuromancer, one actor already very steeped in science fiction will crossover from the Imperium of Dune to the neon, cyberpunk streets of William Gibson’s most enduring creation.
As reported by Variety, Mark Strong has joined the cast of Apple’s Neuromancer and has been confirmed for the role of Armitage. Not exactly the villain of the book, Armitage is a bit of a mystery box character insofar as he’s the human liaison between an AI called Mintermute and Case. Most likely, when the show starts rolling out trailers, Armitage’s nature won’t be fully revealed, because his allegiances, and hidden backstory, will likely be teased out over various different episodes.
Most recently, Strong played Emperor Javicco Corrino in Dune: Prophecy, meaning his experience with beloved science fiction texts — and stories about rogue AI — is very, very recent. Though, unlike Travis Fimmel, who was essentially playing a very similar character in Dune: Prophecy and another sci-fi series, Raised By Wolves, Strong’s involvement in Neuromancer will be nothing like his role in Dune. Armitage is more of a criminal wheeler-and-dealer who is a former military guy. He’s not an emperor, and he certainly doesn’t wield as much power as we’re led to believe.
William Gibson, in the 1980s. He was the father of cyberpunk and the author of Neuromancer.
Strong is the third actor to be publicly revealed to have been cast in Neuromancer. Last year, Callum Turner and Briana Middleton were confirmed to be playing Case and Molly, respectively.
Because the book is being adapted by Apple TV+ — and that streamer that has become synonymous with high-quality science fiction — it will be interesting to see what direction the new series takes. The series is created by Graham Roland and JD Dillard, two people who have sci-fi backgrounds: Roland with Fringe and Lost, and Dillard with the 2020 Twilight Zone and Utopia. Gibson is on board as executive producer, which suggests a faithful-ish take on the classic novel — but just how faithful is anybody’s guess.
Casting a great actor like Mark Strong is interesting because it could suggest that the show will move beyond the exact timeline of the book, and delve into past events that occur before the story begins. Because Armitage basically has an entire second life and identity, it’s possible the show could explore those details in a way that the novel doesn’t. Similarly, aspects of Molly’s backstory directly connect to the 1981 short story “Johnny Mnemonic,” which means, if we’re doing flashbacks, we could get a mini-remake of that 1995 film inside of the TV version of Neuromancer.
At this point, fans of the original book have nothing but speculation. But, with the cast shaping up, and a rich amount of lore to play with, it’s possible that Neuromancer could position itself to be one of the greatest sci-fi shows of the decade. Assuming, of course, some evil AI like Wintermute doesn’t take over the whole thing.
