Ghost in the Shell Live Action
What exactly is the definition of human in a society where a mind can be copied and the body replaced with a fully synthetic body? Where is the boundary between human and machine when the differences between the two become more philosophical than physical? Ultimately how do we define what it is to be human?
I’m not going to try and answer this today but these are the philosophical questions that form the basis of the futuristic manga and anime series ‘Ghost in the Shell‘ created by Masamune Shirow (first published in 1989). Whilst being nearly 30 years old the franchise is still alive and well with three movies, a TV series, game and trilogy of novels being spawned from it along with many aspects having slowly percolated into popular culture (it heavily inspired The Matrix).
With such a strong pedigree it’s rather worrying that Production I.G has sold the rights for a live-action movie to DreamWorks under the direction of none other than Steven Spielberg. For fans this is a pretty worrying development. Whist there is no denying Spielberg’s talent it’s an altogether different proposition when applying it to something like this, the main fear being that it will be severely dumbed down for a Hollywood audience.
If they can respect and stay faithful to the original maybe this has a chance but then again the likelihood of that is pretty low – the precedent is already pretty well established for ruining Asian cult classics.
Update (10/2009): Apparently Dreamworks has hired Laeta Kalogridis as lead writer (who also worked one of the Tomb Raider movies) along with Avi Arad (formerly of Marvel) and Steven Paul to produce what’s being called a “3D live-action film”. Anyone care to speculate what that means?
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Oh and PS. I love my tachikoma!!
Oh Noes!! This is gonna be about as intellectually challenging as “ultraviolet”. (As close to a rip-off you can get) and then some.
The money-making has to be served, soo, Motoko will probably be portrayed by Jessica Simpson or sumptin’ “as long as she is blonde”… Batou? Let’s take a wild guess: Vin Diesel… Chief Aramaki? Patrick Steward with a wig…..
Ugh….
They need to get Ridley Scott to direct it if they are actually going to make it.
Out of interest is anyone watching the new show “Caprica”? There are a LOT of similar themes with GITS. What do people think of it?
love Caprica!!!
cant wait to see the fall season.
Give it a chance. Even though I hated Transformers, it was the excessively poor plot and script that sucked. Spielberg has gone the right direction and gotten the right director for the movie. If the screenplay is worth a flip then the movie will be. Personally, I have been waiting for an attempt at a live action version of GHOST IN THE SHELL for some time. I have all of the GITS episodes and movies in English and in Japanese and I believe spielberg will do an admirable job if given a chance.
Man, most of the comments here are plainly ridiculous! I mean, I LOVE the original GITS, and I am still troubled and amazed at the deep philosophical questions it raised . . . the two miniseries were also great (who can forget the tachikomas sacrificing themselves to save Batou!?, or the Boy and girl pair and the origami cranes!?), the two movies not so much, but . . .
Hollywood’s interest in a live action version, good or bad, can only increase the penetration of this great movie into the rest of the world. Even if the live action movie sucks royally, at least a lot more people will now of GITS and I am sure some might even watch the original.
There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY that a sucky live action version is going to diminish the value of the original.
I don’t know, to me this is a win-win situation for all of us fans, IMHO.
yo GITS will might or might not be good live actio but they should make it close as poss to orig maybe an all japanese cast or jessica simpson with who ever as long as its jessica simpson cause she is soo dang hooottttt
Tbh James Cameron Cited That Ghost In The Shell Is A Huge Influence But Only Through A Collaboration Of Spielberg’s Older Mind/Cameron’s Mind And Other Directors With A Clue Would This Actually Be Done.
Even So It’ll Suck Because I Mean Every Live Action Film From Anime Has Been Turd And Will Lack Substance. Only Drawings Can Capture The Stunning Visuals And Fine Detail. And Besides No Women Can Be As Slim As Motoko And Have Jugs Like That. Cyborgs Ain’t Real Yet So Lets Give It A While Before We Try A Live Action GITS Film Kay?
With Steven Spielburg, and James Cameron together could pull this off, as long as the script was kept as gritty as the Manga, and the original GitS movie. Sorry kids but the movie has to be at least 18A to pull it off. Gits cannot have the Tachicomas in it either, just like the original Ghost in the Shell.
Fuchikoma and Tachikoma are part of the series, they should be part of any movie made on the subject as they are important to the storyline. The omission of them in the “original” movie (please read my comments below to understand my utter disdain for the 1996 Oshii rendition of GitS) is another fault with the 1996 movie.
i wish Hollywood bigshots wouldnt buyout decently made tv/film/anime series like GitS, so they can turn it to shit or either get lucky and do it very well.
and this^ is prove that very little people have original ideas anymore, most films getting made now are either remakes, a sad excuse to add to a series (Predators), live action versions (The Last Airbender) of something else or have been derived from comics/graphic novels/books (Marmaduke, Scott Pilgrim etc.) the fact people take books and turn them into films isnt so bad cause it gives a visual perspective but the others are just bad excuses IMO.
just leave it to the Japanese please, its safe in their hands. yeah it may not end up being world renowned, but fuck who cares… as long as those who appreciate know it exists then it’s all good IMO.
If the live action of GitS turns out like the live action of the last airbender, then its going to suck. And it shouldnt, because GitS is the best and most mature and philosophical anime series out there. I wish they would make a 3rd GiG or S.A.C. II
PLEASE PLEASE don’t make a live action movie of the disastrous misinterpretation of Shirow’s work done by Marmoru Oshii in 1996. The “Ghost In The Shell” 1996 movie was not representative of what Shirow wanted to express. For one thing the director of animation in the 1996 movie admitted to “changing Kusangi’s age” because he felt she was “more mature” and “needed to be older.” Shirow’s point in GitS was to show what society would be like were man and machine almost interchangeable. Also, in the Manga it’s pointed out that Kusanagi actually is older than she appears physically. What the director of animation did was the equivalent of changing a brushstroke on a Picasso because he felt it was “too impressionistic.”
A similar change, also made by the director of animation, was the fact that the body Kusanagi ends up in the end of the movie is a little girl as opposed to a man. In the original manga she ended up with a man’s body (although “he” looked feminine by virtue of the fact that he was a cross dresser… this is why Batou made the mistake and stole a body of the wrong gender).
Even Shirow is quoted as saying “This is not my Ghost In the Shell.” (I know I heard this, but couldn’t tell you where I did…).
I would like to see the movie drawn from two sources:
1) The manga… and
2) The Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex and 2nd Gig series.
Don’t get me wrong. I liked the 1996 movie, but it clashes with Shirow’s philosophy.
Sincerely, GC