Ghost in the Shell Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Who Should Play The Major in The Live-Action 'Ghost in The Shell'?
Filed under: Action », Animation », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting », Fandom », Scripts », Dreamworks », Steven Spielberg »
There has been talk of a live action Ghost in The Shell for some time now, and while I knew that a US remake was probably inevitable, there was still a small part of me that thought that maybe this time, we would be spared another inferior North American 're-imagining' of a pretty spectacular anime. But I guess I'm not that lucky, because Variety is now reporting that Dreamworks has just hired Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island) to adapt the manga for a live action 3D film, bring the film that much closer to reality.Street Kings writer, Jamie Moss, had originally been hired to write the story of "...the exploits of a member of a covert ops unit of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission that specializes in fighting technology-related crime." But I guess Dreamworks wasn't thrilled with the final result, because now Moss is out and Kalogridis is in.
Details about the film are still pretty scarce, and there are plenty of things to decide on, but maybe the most important detail will be casting. The story of GITS is a strange and complicated one, but it all hinges on The Major. It will be crucial to find the right actress for the role if this film has a hope in hell of succeeding -- so I thought I would have a little fun and make a few suggestions to who I think could rock the Thermoptic Camouflage.
After the jump; Five ladies I think could be Major Motoko Kusanagi...
Fans Rejoice: Live-Action 'Akira' is "Dead as a Doornail"
Filed under: Animation », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », RumorMonger », Scripts », Remakes and Sequels »
You probably remember that a little over a year ago, the news hit that Leonardo DiCaprio would be producing a live action version of the beloved anime, Akira, and as to be expected, fans were peeved. Within minutes, comment boards (including ours) were jammed with cries of white-washing, racism, and general predictions of overall crappiness. But, if you happen to have been one of those fans crying for blood; I've got some good news for you. Bloody Disgusting now reports that the live-action Akira has been pronounced "Dead as a doornail" by not one, but two inside sources -- I guess we should have seen this coming when the film was promised to be released in 2009, and there wasn't a signed cast member in sight.For those not familiar with Akira, it was the story of a teen biker gang member who is subjected to government experiments and unleashes destruction on a post-nuclear Tokyo. Ruairi Robinson had originally been slated to direct a script by Gary Whitta (Book of Eli), but DiCaprio had promised that they wouldn't be moving ahead with Akira until they had a quality script, so maybe Whitta could have been the source of the delay. Either way, I guess we can all breathe a sigh of relief that Tetsuo and the gang are safe from the monster known as 'reboot fever'...at least for now, anyway.
After the jump; status reports on other classic anime in line for a Hollywood makeover...
'Ghost in the Shell' is Next in the 3-D Pipeline
Filed under: Animation », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », Tech Stuff », Exhibition », Dreamworks », Steven Spielberg »
There's been a flurry of buzz around theatrical 3-D lately, perhaps because James Cameron has come out of hiding to talk a bit about Avatar. (If you haven't yet read this interview with the King of the World, do so immediately.) The last thing we heard was that exhibitors have ganged up on Steven Spielberg for apparently standing in the way of the digital revolution. But Spielberg seems to have seen the light: he's acquired the rights to the Japanese manga Ghost in the Shell for Dreamworks, which plans to film it in -- you guessed it -- digital 3-D. A Dreamworks suit boasts that the story "epitomizes 3-D live-action motion picture possibilities."If that title sounds familiar, it's because the manga has already been adapted into one of the most celebrated anime films of all time. The story involves an attempt to fight cyber-crime by creating a breed of ultra-powerful cyborgs, which strikes me as a terrible idea. I found Mamoru Oshii's movie visually spectacular but impenetrable -- I'm not an anime buff, and it confused the hell out of me. I'm sure that if nothing else, Dreamworks will find a way to solve that problem. Jamie Moss (Street Kings) is taking a crack at writing the adaptation.
Philosophical Dog Fighters Will Be Launched by Mamoru Oshii
Filed under: Animation », Foreign Language », Independent », Cinematical Indie »
"Animated or otherwise, they are easily some of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen." That was how Jessica described Ghost in the Shell and its sequel, Ghost in the Shell: Innocence earlier this year when writing about the possibility of a live-action version. That project is evidently still up in the air, but Anime News Network is reporting that director Mamoru Oshii, the visionary behind those films, is set to direct The Sky Crawlers. Due for a 2008 theatrical release in Japan, The Sky Crawlers is based on a five-part novel by Hiroshi Mori. Mori has written more than 30 mystery novels in just a little over a decade, but felt that The Sky Crawlers would be "the most difficult among all of my works for film adaptation." No wonder -- the press release says that it is set in an alternative version of the modern day in which children "are destined to live eternally in their adolescence ... conscious that every day could be the last, because they fight a 'war as entertainment,' organized and operated by adults." The basic plot is slightly reminiscent of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. Perhaps being familiar with the books, Anime News Network says that the focus is on "dogfighting fighter pilots with an emphasis on philosophical passages."
It sounds like perfect fodder for Oshii and animation studio Production I.G., whose credits include the animated sequence in Kill Bill, Vol. 1. The script was adapted by Chihiro Ito , who previously worked on the screenplay for Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World, a popular romantic drama. Warner Brothers will distribute in Japan, and I'd say there's a good chance it will make its way around the world at some point.
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.
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