We are huge fans of Joe Cornish and the work he did on debut film Attack The Block (and if you don’t, you can read our review). So it's good news to hear that, after spending some time sorting through the avalanche of projects he was offered in the wake of Block’s release, he’s now attached to write and direct an adaptation of Neal Stephenson’s cult cyber thriller Snow Crash.
Originally published in 1992, Stephenson’s book sent a shockwave through the science fiction novel genre and landed on Time magazine’s list of the 100 all-time best English novels written since 1923.
Set in a unspecified chunk of the early 21st century, the book follows Hiro Protagonist, a hacker who stumbles on the existence of a computer virus / drug called Snow Crash that not only has a physical effect on those exposed to it, but also invades their virtual life. As it begins to spread further and further, Hiro digs into why it was originally created.
Naturally, Snow Crash was snapped up by Hollywood the moment it was published. But the complex plot, intriguing style and many tech / language layers have rendered it among the ranks of books largely considered unfilmmable. Indeed, though Paramount made an attempt back in 1996, it was abandoned. After time spent in turnaround, Disney picked up the rights, with Kathleen Kennedy and her Kennedy/Marshall company set to produce. Again, it lingered in limbo.
According to Deadline, Kennedy approached Cornish with the book and, has also struck a new deal with Paramount. We’re intrigued to discover what Cornish could do with the source material, but it remains to be seen if he can crack the code and turn it into a movie. Fingers crossed.