By Cyberpunk can seem ridiculously dated in our age of constant connectivity, but works by authors like William Gibson and Neal Stephenson are so vibrant that their imagination and prescience overshadows anything which risks dating them back to the ’80s or ’90s. While Gibson’s incredible Neuromancer has been long stuck in development hell, despite Vincenzo Natali reportedly becoming attached to the project last year, it looks like an adaptation of Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash is becoming reality now Attack The Block‘s Joe Cornish has signed on to direct.
Block was among last year’s best movies and a showcase for Cornish as a director of enormous promise. Snow Crash would represent a big leap in scale, presenting an anarcho-capitalist world full of cyber-spiritualism, quadrillion dollar bills as pocket change, cities divided up into privately-run suburban states and a virtual-reality internet. Though written in 1992, the book nails many modern concerns about collapsing economies, rampant corporatism and intrusive technology, so it’s a fantastic time to be attempting an adaptation. Hopefully Cornish will rise to the complex, but potentially spectacular, challenge. In the meantime, put me down as ‘insanely overexcited’ for this.
[via Deadline]Also, the hero’s name is ‘Hiro Protagonist’ and he carries a katana. If you’re not giddy with anticipation by now, seek advanced psychological care immediately.