The novel was written by cyberpunk pioneer William Gibson, and it launched his Sprawl trilogy. Neuromancer centers on Henry Dorsett Case, a disgraced computer hacker living in Japan who was punished for stealing from his employer by being rendered unable to access The Matrix, a worldwide virtual reality network. But he's given a shot at getting back in the saddle when he is hired to complete the ultimate hack: one on an artificial intelligence orbiting Earth. The novel was Gibson's first, and went on to win critical acclaim — as well as the Hugo, Nebula and Philip K. Dick Awards. He followed Neuromancer with Count Zero (1986) and Mona Lisa Overdrive (1988), all set in the same world and future.

A number of filmmakers have attempted a Neuromancer adaptation over the years, with Joseph Kahn and Vincenzo Natali among the directors who have been attached over the past decade.

Miller made his directorial debut last year with Fox's Deadpool, which became an unexpected smash. He exited the sequel in October over creative differences, but has a number of other projects in the works, including an adaptation of the Daniel Suarez sci-fi novel Influx for Fox and an animated/live-action adaptation of the classic videogame character Sonic the Hedgehog for Sony.