Are These Heart-Stopping Storyboards From the Lost 'Neuromancer' or 'The Matrix'?

These Neuromancer storyboards could easily have been a scene from the Matrix. The Matrix storyboards are some of the best I've ever seen, especially compared with the final film. That said, these storyboards for the unmade Neuromancer film are just as thrilling and exciting.

Back in 2006 it was announced that William Gibson's 1984 "cyberpunk" science-fiction novel was being adapted for the screen. Korean-American director Joseph Kahn was set to direct and Milla Jovovich was cast as the lead. The project died on the vine.

It's a hard sell. The themes of simulation vs. reality has been explored by so many films it's hard to convince people it can be fresh and new. Of course, Gibson's vision was first and arguably the best. Even the name of the cyber-world "The Matrix" was swiped wholesale by the Wachowski brothers.

I've already shared concept art from the unmade film before. Dan Fraga, the storyboard artist from the film just released some storyboards he did on his blog.

Here's what he had to say about it:

Back in 2006 my very talented friend and director Joseph Kahn was busy developing the movie version of William Gibson's Neuromancer. This was a tough one because Neuromancer is the source of what are now clichés in sci-fi films: The Matrix, Jacking in, Virtual Reality. They're all concepts originally introduced in Neuromancer. The challenge was to make it all fresh and exciting. What you see below is an action sequence that I did for Joe.

So, here they are. The scene shows a blind-folded assassin attacking a car with Jovovich blasting away at him. As you watch them imagine this scene in the Matrix. Wouldn't this fit in perfectly?

You can find some more awesome storyboards and very helpful art tips at Dan Fraga's website http://fragaboom.blogspot.com.


What do you think? Do these storyboards stop your heart with excitement? Could they have rivaled the Matrix?