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.

"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.

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.