Dreamworks Acquires Rights for Ghost in the Shell

Anonymous GiTS fan noted a Variety story informing us that DreamWorks has acquired the rights to Ghost in the Shell and has plans to produce a "3D Live Action" version of the popular anime. This happened apparently because Spielberg is a fan. He says "'Ghost in the Shell' is one of my favorite stories ... It's a genre that has arrived, and we enthusiastically welcome it to DreamWorks." I hope they add a talking donkey.

Dumbed down for North America?

[Digital_Quartz]

When I first read this, I thought "Cool!" I'm a big fan of the anime. However, with a series like Ghost in the Shell, one almost has to worry that Hollywood will take the signature wheels-within-wheels plot lines will and severely dumb them down for us "simpleton audiences" on this side of the big pond. Hopefully not; we'll have to wait and see.

sigh...

[theheadlessrabbit]

as a GitS fan, I should be excited by this, but why do i have a feeling that Hollywood will water-down, bastardize and destroy everything that makes the original great?

(and yes, i am talking about the beautiful nude scenes with the stealth suits breaking off. it was beautifully done.)

please, be faithful to the original.

Dub GiTS2: Innocence

[MBCook]

How about releasing a version of GiTS2: Innocence that's dubbed into English first for those of us who want to be able to look at the art and not have to read all the subtitles?

Re:Seen it (Matrix)

[Anonymous Coward]

> "3D Live Action" version of the popular anime.

As opposed to what? the matrix?

Re:Anime.. A genre whose time has *come*??

[_bug_]

the medium is CG or cel animation. anime is the genre of japanese animation. the genre is also cyberpunk. amazingly enough movies can belong to more than one genre.

Re:Plot Feel

[andphi]

I'm extremely wary of this and rather unconvinced that it's even necessary. There are already two GiTS movies. They were both really cool. The pacing on Innocence was very different from GiTS, but the slower pace gives the artists space. The whole thing is really a wheels-within-wheels plot, as another poster has said. Hollywood will either make it quickly and shoddily or take six years (like they did bringing A Scanner Darkly to the screen).

But to answer your question, I see it as a police/geopolitical thriller with heavy cyberpunk and philosophical overtones. I can also see how you would get that feeling. Just looking at the way the movies run (I own both and catch GiTS on TV when I can), the plots do tend toward the late revelation which suddenly pulls everything together (and times turns everything sideways at the same time).

Re:Plot Feel

[dbIII]

One thing that is interesting in the setting is that the very existance of the agency the heroes are in really depends upon the sort of corruption they are trying to stop.

Re:Dumbed down for North America?

[miscz]

That's because every anime is so fucking deep. Japanese cinema has about the same amount of crap produced as Hollywood and animations are no exception, I'd dare to say that it's even worse - how many ninja schoolgirls fighting alien invaders with gigantic robots while exposing their panties can we watch?

GitS movie was good, but the SAC series are better

[Sepiraph]

As a GitS fan, I am exciting but at the same time worried about what 'Western' adaption of GitS would look like. Also although the original GitS movie was good, the SAC season I and II series are superior in the sense that fully a full 26 episode season really allowed the story and its universe to be examined in detail, something that a movie can never truly do.

With that said, I'd still be eager to see Hollywood version of GitS, even if I may very well end up hating it.

Re:Plot Feel

[xenocide2]

Counter-terrorism and anti-cyber warfare? That's the official mission of Public Security Section 9. [wikipedia.org] Fighting corruption is a personal mission of Aramaki, who perhaps directs more resources to cases under his jurisdiction when it's possible that corruption is the root cause. That's why Aramaki selects Detective Togusa to serve in Section 9 even though he's not trained in counter terrorism or cyber warfare. Togusa's record of fighting his superiours on ignoring damaging cases suggests to Aramaki that he'll be a reliable partner in his personal war on corruption.