The Diamond Age headed to small screen

The US-based SCI FI Channel announced last week that George Clooney is producing a six-hour miniseries based on Neal Stephenson's best-selling 1995 novel The Diamond Age or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer. We have not read the book, but BoingBoing describes it like this: "The Diamond Age tells the story of a group of neo-Victorians who've embraced strait-laced ethics and craftsmanship as a response to the infinite possibilities of nanotechnology."

So what? Well, much of the book takes place in Shanghai "and a number of artificial islands, such as the Victorian enclave Atlantis/Shanghai, in the sea around the old city." In "Part the Second," Nell, the main character, "moves to the Pudong Economic Zone in Shanghai, where she gets work in an upscale brothel, whose specialty is a choice of sophisticated erotic fantasies."

So, it looks like Bai Ling will be offered a role.

No word on when the miniseries will come out or whether any of it will be shot in Shanghai.

Thanks to Shanghaiist reader Jason for the tip!