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Ghost in the Shell: Live-Action Filmization Announced-

According to Entertainment Industry magazine Variety, major Hollywood studio Dream Works and director Steven Spielberg obtained the rights to produce Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shiro as a live-action film. Popular among worldwide fans, Ghost in the Shell was first animated in 1995. Ranked number one in the video chart of a billboard magazine, various Hollywood movies were influenced by this animation. According to plan, the anime is to be made into a 3D film to be produced by Avi Arad, known for producing Spider Man.
Variety reports the filmization into a live-action film was under negotiation by Sony Pictures and Universal Studios as well, but director Spielberg won the competition as a major fan of the original animation. Director Spielberg said to Variety, “Ghost in the Shell is one of my favorite stories, the crown jewel of the Sci-Fi genre. Everybody is excited that we’re working with Dream Works. “At Stand Alone Complex, Ghost in the Shell was a SF manga published in Japan in 1989 and garnered great popularity upon publication. The original content of this manga is set in the 21st century after the third nuclear war and the fourth non-nuclear war, where world order has changed and technology has improved remarkably.
Brain-Machine-Interface, or a device is connected directly into the network of brain nerves using micromachining, along with Cyborg technology was developed and disseminated. As a result, the time came for many humans to use their cyber abilities to access the internet directly. In a society where humans, Cyber humans, Cyborgs, Androids, and Bioroids cohabite, the story depicts the successes of the 9 unites of the security police system directly under the Interior Ministry, responsible for preventing terrorism, assassinations, corruption, and other crimes in advance to minimize the impact.
This animation is said to have influenced many in the Hollywood entertainment industry, along with Matrix which is often cited repeatedly as a product of the influence by Ghost in the Shell. Because this animation is also popular outside of Hollywood, live-action filmization of this title has been rumored in the past. However, in January 2007, when the animation production company Production I.G whom produced the animated version of Ghost in the Shell obtained the negotiation rights for the Live-Action filmization of the title, excited rumors sparked that the Live-Action filmization would be undertaken by Hollywood.
According to the announcement by Dream Works, names of staff and cast members have not been specified, yet the movement towards live-action filmization has started. I am looking forward to the 3D Live-Action film of police in action in the near future. Since the live-action release of Transformer last year, Speed Racer released in May, and Dragon Ball, Astro Boy, Gatchaman, all slated for release in 2009, Hollywood’s fixation and filmization of Japanese animation seems to continue.



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