Saturday, May 19, 2007

Big Mistake: Torque Director Handed The Reins To Neuromancer

One of the all-time greatest science fiction books is William Gibson's Neuromancer. If you don't know why, go see Google - better still, buy a copy. All will come clear. And you might just reconsider your love of The Matrix into the bargain (if you're not quite moved to this, then Fassbinder's World on a Wire will seal the deal for sure).

Sadly, it has now been announced that Joseph Kahn has signed on to direct the newly resuscitated movie adaptation. For a while, Chris Cunningham was involved, but that was some years back and, besides, Chris doesn't really seem keen to make a feature film at all, no matter what it is. I bet he could be offered We3 and he'd turn it down.

Joseph Kahn has directed a number of music videos you probably don't like at all - again, go see Google, but brace yourself for an avalanche of Britney Spears and Ashlee Simpson dreck - and his debut feature, Torque, was a rather clear indication of his capabilities, or rather their limits.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank god you didn't say he's the most underrated video director on the planet.
-ltar

Brendon said...

No. That's probably Dominic Leung.

Anonymous said...

Neuromancer? This brings me to tears. Literally. I mean it. I hope this never happens. I hope the film falls out of the camera and the edit bays blow away in a whirlwind. There is a God if this does not happen.
After I get out of film school, I want to get the rights to this book. Now I know it is to be screwed to hell. That novel is amazing, and this is honestly a very sad day... for me at least.

It should be done with underground sensibilities, and in my opinion divided in half Kill Bill style to retain every wonderful moment for the big screen. I have such a clear idea of these characters that if this film sucks the way the script that is online (the one written by the guy that wrote the Mask yet claims to be a Gibson script) does, I will probably buy every print and let chimps eat them, and have sex with his wife or girlfriend. He better do this well.

Mark Kardwell said...

I actually thought TORQUE, despite its limitations, a very good looking film, and that Kahn could probably shoot a decent movie given a good script. Plus, his video for Muse's Knights of Cydonia was a cracker (and did the impossible - could make me pause and watch a video clip for a band I kinda formally hate).

Brendon said...

Wow. I thought Torque was ugly. Toxic ugly - as in the Spears video he did.

The Cydonia video is absolutely barmy, and that does appeal, I have to admit. But I didn't spot any feature making skills at play.

I hope you're right, though. I want to be hopeful.

Anonymous said...

I hope this isn't some green vomit screen made shit. This film should be shot in Japan and bombed out sections of Germany from World War II.

I am awaiting an image of Molly. If the screw up Molly it would be worse than screwing up the Joker for me. I am truly a fanboy for this book, and never for any others.
I think Molly should actually be Asian American or Asian -UK. What she wears in the book reminds me of Tokyo fashions. I hope they don't Trinity-ize her, because I think of her as more feminine, sexy, yet deadly. Not like in the 1980s graphic novel where she had a mullet and looked lesbian.

Just have to pray that this guy just never had a chance with good material, and he actually can rock the shit.