Development In the 1980s, director Robert Longo was known primarily for his artwork, including "Men in the Cities", a series of images meant to be viewed sequentially. After having been influenced by film, he transitioned to directing music videos and, when he tired of that, became interested in adapting William Gibson's
Johnny Mnemonic. Longo and Gibson first started work on a screenplay in 1989. Longo's first attempt to finance the film was through
Warner Bros. in 1990.
Bob Krasnow liked Longo's short film,
Arena Brains, and offered to finance a feature film. Before pre-production could begin, Warner Bros. merged with
Time Inc., and the film was put on hold. Recognizing the film was unlikely to be produced, Krasnow let Longo out of his contract. Longo nearly gave up on getting
Johnny Mnemonic made but continued to make contacts in Hollywood. Studios were also concerned that Longo's artistic background would impact his ability to make a commercially viable film. The unbounded spread of the Internet in the early 1990s and the consequent rapid growth of high technology culture had made the cyberpunk genre increasingly relevant, and this was a primary motivation for Sony Pictures's decision to fund the project in the tens of millions. Gibson approved of this casting and said Reeves understood the character well.
Pre-production When Reeves' previous film,
Speed, turned into a major hit in 1994, expectations were raised for
Johnny Mnemonic, and Sony saw the film as a potential blockbuster hit. Gibson said Sony executives began pressing them about whether their film had busses or explosions, critical elements of
Speed. Longo's experiences with the financiers were poor, believing that their demands compromised his artistic vision. Many of the casting decisions, such as Lundgren, were forced upon Longo to increase the film's appeal outside of the United States. Longo and Gibson, who had no idea what to do with Lundgren, created a new character for him. Lundgren had previously starred in several action films that emphasized his physique. He intended the role of the street preacher to be a showcase for further range as an actor, but his character's monologue was cut during editing. Gibson said that the monologue, a sermon about
transhumanism that Lundgren delivered naked, was cut due to fears of offending religious groups. Kitano was cast to appeal to the Japanese market. Nerve attenuation syndrome (NAS) is a
fictional disease that is not present in the short story. NAS, also called "the black shakes", is caused by an overexposure to electromagnetic radiation from omnipresent technological devices and is presented as a raging
epidemic. In the film, one pharmaceutical corporation has found a cure but chooses to withhold it from the public in favor of a more lucrative treatment program. References to Jones the dolphin's heroin addiction was one of many plot elements cut during editing. and the action sequences were meant to be ironic and reminiscent of scenes that Gibson and Longo enjoyed in
B movies. Reeves' suit and tie are a reference to "Men in the Cities". The ending, where the Street Preacher appears to revive, was forced on Longo, but he refused to shoot the scene straight, as requested. The studio approved of his version nonetheless. Prior to its release, critic
Amy Harmon identified the film as an epochal moment when cyberpunk counterculture would enter the mainstream. News of the script's compromises spurred pre-release concerns that the film would prove a disappointment to hardcore cyberpunks. ==Release and marketing==