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04-17-2008, 07:05 AM
April 15, 2008
Dreamworks have picked up the rights from Production I.G. -- the animation studio behind the most recent Ghost in the Shell film and TV series - and are set to make the project a live-action 3-D film -- with a bit of help from Stephen Spielberg.
According to Variety, Universal and Sony were also chasing the rights, but the Jaws helmer -- and co-founder of Dreamworks -- personally encouraged the studio to force through the deal.
He explained "Ghost in the Shell is one of my favorite stories. It's a genre that has arrived, and we enthusiastically welcome it to DreamWorks."
At present there has been no word on any other involvement Spielberg will have with the film.
Avi Arad -- no stranger to comic adaptations having worked on the Spider-Man, X-Men and Fantastic Four films, as well as the forthcoming Iron Man and Incredible Hulk -- is on production duty.
Jamie Moss will pen the adaptation, with the crime thriller Street Kings his only major credit so far.
Originally created by Masamune Shirow back in 1989, the manga has been adapted into two anime TV series (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - 2nd Gig), three films (Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Solid State Society), videogames, books and more.
The futuristic cyberpunk series revolves around the half-machine/half-woman Motoko Kusanagi, a member of the covert ops agency Section 9, which focuses on crimes related to technology.
DreamWork's head of production Adam Goodman said this project "epitomizes 3-D live-action motion picture possibilities."
Dreamworks have picked up the rights from Production I.G. -- the animation studio behind the most recent Ghost in the Shell film and TV series - and are set to make the project a live-action 3-D film -- with a bit of help from Stephen Spielberg.
According to Variety, Universal and Sony were also chasing the rights, but the Jaws helmer -- and co-founder of Dreamworks -- personally encouraged the studio to force through the deal.
He explained "Ghost in the Shell is one of my favorite stories. It's a genre that has arrived, and we enthusiastically welcome it to DreamWorks."
At present there has been no word on any other involvement Spielberg will have with the film.
Avi Arad -- no stranger to comic adaptations having worked on the Spider-Man, X-Men and Fantastic Four films, as well as the forthcoming Iron Man and Incredible Hulk -- is on production duty.
Jamie Moss will pen the adaptation, with the crime thriller Street Kings his only major credit so far.
Originally created by Masamune Shirow back in 1989, the manga has been adapted into two anime TV series (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - 2nd Gig), three films (Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Solid State Society), videogames, books and more.
The futuristic cyberpunk series revolves around the half-machine/half-woman Motoko Kusanagi, a member of the covert ops agency Section 9, which focuses on crimes related to technology.
DreamWork's head of production Adam Goodman said this project "epitomizes 3-D live-action motion picture possibilities."