Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Dreamworks/ Spielberg to remake “Ghost in the Shell” in 3D

I knew there was a reason that I ran that story on the product launch of 3D TVs in Japan.

It was announced yesterday that Dreamworks Pictures has obtained the rights to produce a live-action 3D adaptation of Masamune Shirow’s 1989 manga “Ghost in the Shell”. Of course it has already been famously adapted to the screen in the seminal anime film of the same name by visionary director Mamoru Oshii.

Apparently there were other studios attempting to require the rights to the project, but it was none other than Steven Spielberg who tipped things in Dreamworks favour. " 'Ghost in the Shell' is one of my favorite stories," he was quoted as saying.

Dreamworks has had a good history distributing anime in North America. Their release of both Oshii’s sequel to “Ghost in the Shell” 2004’ “Innocence” and Satoshi Kon’s “Millennium Actress” are evidence of that. (Although I’ve recently heard that the DVD of “Millennium Actress” has gone out of print. Hmmmm…) It still remains to be seen how this project will pan out though. “Ghost in the Shell’s” carcass has already been famously picked over by the Wachowski Brothers for their cyberpunk Matrix Trilogy, so it begs the question if the general public will line up to see more of the same while they still have a sour taste in their mouths from “The Matrix: Reloaded” and “Revolutions”.

Read more about the project at Anime News Network: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-04-15/dreamworks-to-make-3d-live-action-ghost-in-the-shell

And at Variety Asia Online: http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/5923/1/

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