Fans of William Gibson repeat after me: Woosah. Is the famous cyberpunk author’s 1984 masterwork Neuromancer finally headed to the big screen with Darth Vader himself, Hayden Christensen, in the lead role? That’s what sources are telling Joblo. Christensen would star as Case, a talented hacker whose poisoned nervous system reduces him to hustling Japan’s dystopian streets before he gets the offer of his lifetime. Joseph Kahn, who helmed the Fast and the Furious biker knockoff Torque as well as Britney’s “Toxic” video, is attached to direct the $70 million independent production.

The general consensus seems to be, “It’s not perfect casting, but let’s wait until February’s Jumper to bring out the pitchforks. And yeah, the director’s past work is obnoxious, but the fat budget and the indie status hold promise.” I liked Christensen in Shattered Glass but that’s about it. While he has the “vacant-eyed replica” look down to a science, he’s not right for this film, especially if it keeps the novel’s love interest intact as reported.

And it’s spilt milk, but Gibson has admitted that Chris Cunningham, previously attached, was the only suitable director for this project. From Wikipedia: The novel examines the concepts of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, genetic engineering, multinational corporations overpowering the traditional nation-state, and cyberspace long before these ideas became fashionable in popular culture. This is difficult material that can be easily be mistreated like an MTV Blade Runner. Let’s hope Gibson doesn’t have the notoriously shoddy luck of Philip K. Dick when it comes to film adaptations.