Hayden Christensen is William Gibson's Neuromancer?!
Filed under: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, RumorMonger
I don't mind Hayden Christensen. I actually liked him in The Virgin Suicides, Life as a House, Shattered Glass, and Factory Girl. That being said, I, like many disgruntled Star Wars viewers out there, wasn't so pleased with the whole Episodes 1-3 phenomenon. You'd think that if the actor has learned anything over his career, it is not to enter into any really big fanboy fare where expectations are high and tolerance is nil. Or, that he'd at least be wary of such projects. That's why I'm hoping that this news bit courtesy of JoBlo is nothing more than a rumor.One of their sources says that Christensen will star in the big-screen adaptation of William Gibson's huge cyberpunk novel, Neuromancer. Joseph Kahn is set to direct, and it's being seen as a big-budget indie -- no studio, but $70 million ready to work with. What's worse than trying to tackle Vader and stick with it while fans cringe? I'd say trying to take on the lead role of Case in this confusingly intricate story. And, why would the people behind this production want to risk it?
Sure, Keanu Reeves initially seemed like a terrible choice for the Matrix, and he did pretty well for himself, but this isn't starting a phenomenon -- it's continuing it. I've said my peace, so what do you think about this casting possibility? Who would you suggest instead?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-09-2008 @ 12:15PM
Robert Grant said...
I would rather stick needles in my eyes than see this made into a film at all. I have wonderful memories of reading this book, so please, is nothing sacred? And Christensen? Less talent, less personality and less likely than the average sock puppet!
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1-09-2008 @ 12:24PM
Jesse said...
I honestly can't remember a lot about this book. I read it when I was 16 which was almost 8 years ago so all of the details are fuzzy so I can't really say who should be Case. What I can tell you is I don't want to see Hayden in any more of anything. I'm considering seeing Jumper, and it's possible he might redeem himself in that one but I doubt it.
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1-09-2008 @ 12:55PM
Peter Hall said...
Oh, God, Joesph Kahn!?
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1-09-2008 @ 1:06PM
The Pepto Pimp said...
Monika, I have to say I'm with Peter Hall. The bigger issue here isn't Christensen, it's Joseph Kahn. How did he get this job?!?! What a waste of $70million and a great story...
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1-09-2008 @ 2:21PM
John R said...
please no...
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1-09-2008 @ 2:57PM
Emily Merkle said...
But he won't be playing Case, no matter what. According to the Seven Arts site, the character name has already been changed to Cage. *rolls eyes*
If they're intent on casting a glowing teen to play the iconically empty drugged-out husk of a hacker past his peak, I would sooner put my money on the kid from Transformers. But I wouldn't expect a faithful representation of the character no matter what, based on the dumbed-down old Gibson script that's been circulating on the web for years OR the presence of the director of Torque.
No matter how you slice it, this movie is going to hated by fans, and probably rightly so. This isn't continuing a phenomenon (or at least, it shouldn't be); Neuromancer is considerably more stringent speculative sci fi than metaphorical fantasy sci fi like The Matrix. Gibson's future isn't lit up with glowing grids and perfectly attired gunmen blowing up everything in sight. It asks about consciousness, artificial intelligence, and how humanity will change. It's full of drugs and trash and lost hope, and the redefinition of human lives with technology, and it is all the more beautiful and poetic for it.
Both of those stories are cyberpunk, but if Neuromancer comes out anything like The Matrix, then it's gone *so* wrong. So I don't have high hopes at all, because that's obviously what they'll shoot for.
Still, the casting question for me is: who's gonna play Molly Millions? That's a long-wanked-over and much beloved character that didn't even make it into Johnny Mnemonic. I always thought Case was sexy in a sad, dark way, but he's too sad. Molly, though, is equally poetic and redefined the femme fatale for a lot of readers. She's strong, brave, and smart. I think with the right casting (and a good representation of those mirrorshades and razors), she could be the difference between this film either being a forgettable blip or other Gibson properties making it to the screen.
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1-09-2008 @ 6:14PM
Chris said...
If you're going to reference Keanu, it should be to Johnny Mnemonic in this case. Bad movie, terrible job by Reeves.
Neuromancer will successfully blow $70 million dollars and give a nice tax write-off to someone. That's about it. It will doubtlessly suck.
But Christensen isn't the problem. He can act just fine, the Star Wars debacle was largely Lucas' fault, as can be seen from how bad Natalie Portman was in it too. Poor casting meets wooden dialogue and a sloppy story.
No, Neuromancer will depend largely on the director, and I imagine with someone who's main experience is Britney Spears videos, that his "vision" will result in hot pokers in viewers' eyes.
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