Is Ghost In The Shell Going Live-Action?
Filed under: Action, Animation, Foreign Language, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, RumorMonger, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels
The animated theatrical film of Ghost in the Shell was released in 1995 and was directed by Mamoru Oshii -- Oshii returned to direct the sequel; Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, in 2004. Animated or otherwise, they are easily some of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. Now, Empire Online has reported that Production I.G., producers all of the Ghost in the Shell movies and TV series, are shopping around the rights for a live action version. (The original manga has already been adapted for feature films, novels, video games and TV series) It's still early days for this project, but considering the size of GITS's fan base, finding a studio only seems to be a matter of time.
Created by Masamune Shirow, Ghost in the Shell follows a futuristic police force that specializes in technological crimes. The "hero" of the series is Motoko Kusanagi, a former Major in the armed forces, who is more machine than human and leads the elite team. As the series progressed, the focus was less on the action and more about the uneasy relationships between man and technology, which was great. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the recent onslaught of animated family films, but sometimes I like to watch something a little more grown-up.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-23-2007 @ 2:57PM
Akbar Fazil said...
It would be really hard to recreate the world GITS:SAC gave us. I for one would not want to see a live action version.
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1-23-2007 @ 3:18PM
Lane said...
I'm with you, Akbar. The appeal of GITS for me is in its perpetual existential whirlwind. The tone of the film was so desolate and lonely - a perfect compliment to the tech-saturated world. They would never go that route in a live action version. One need only look at AeonFlux to see how badly this one could turn out.
Give me an animated GITS 3 from Mamoru Oshii though and I'd be on board in a second.
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1-23-2007 @ 3:18PM
Rich said...
In the right hands, it could be completely awesome.
But I fear it won't get into the right hands and we will be left with another Gyver and Zeram live action movies.
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1-24-2007 @ 10:16AM
Tony C said...
As much as the storyline is often a gritty, serious and realistic feel -- as much as it can be in animation, given a science fiction future world, but nowhere near as fantastical, over-the-top or abstract as most mainstream anime -- any live action production would be almost completely dominated by CGI animation anyway.
Though I'd like to see more Ghost in the Shell, I don't see how the anime style can translate well with human actors. I too would very much prefer more movies and/or continuing episodic series.
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2-02-2007 @ 8:21PM
stephen said...
Who is going to write The Ghost in the Shell?
If the story is compelling, then the special effects
can blend in to unite "The Ghost" and the "Shell."
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