Variety has reported that the seminal anime movie Ghost in the Shell is getting a live-action, English-language remake. The project is being produced by DreamWorks, with the plan to make the futuristic police thriller as a 3D live-action film.
DreamWorks has tapped screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis to adapt the Japanese manga property. Kalogridis was the writer and executive producer on Martin Scorsese’s upcoming thriller “Shutter Island,” which stars Leonardo DiCaprio. Kalogridis was also a writer on the short lived remake of the Bionic Woman TV show. Avi Arad, Ari Arad and Steven Paul of Seaside Entertainment are attached to produce and originally brought the project to DreamWorks.
Created by Masamune Shirow, Ghost in the Shell is a cyber-punk future story about a cyborg named Motoko Kusanagi who works for a Japanese Public Safety division known as Section 9. She is mostly composed of mechanical components with only her brain remaining organic. The title is a reference to whether or not she has a soul (the ghost) within the shell of her synthetic body. Motoko often even wonders if her memories are also manufactured and nothing about her is real. The character has been used in many different ways, so it’s not known if DreamWorks plans to create their own story based on the manga or if they may remake one of the pre-existing anime movies.
Ghost in the Shell was first published in 1989. It went on to generate two more manga editions, three anime film adaptations, and an anime TV series. The second anime film, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, was released in the U.S. by DreamWorks in 2004.
Kalogridis wrote Night Watch with director Timur Bekmambetov, which got Timur noticed and lead him to a job directing Wanted and producing 9. Kalogridis also scripted the not-so-popular films Alexander and Pathfinder.
Ghost in the Shell is a legendary anime movie. And in an even broader scope, it is a high mark for the cyper-punk and sci-fi genres, as well as setting a standard for incredible animation. This remake has a lot to live up to, but it has the potential to be something that will blow people away. I have high hopes for this movie.
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