‘Ghost in the Shell’ Live-Action Movie Slated for an April 14th, 2017 Release

Last week it was revealed that Scarlett Johansson will star as cyborg agent Major Motoko Kusanagi in DreamWork’s live-action movie adaptation of Mamoru Oshii’s groundbreaking 1995 anime film based on the renowned manga series from Masamune Shirow. We now have another Ghost in the Shell update, as a release date for the film has been selected, bringing the long-gestating project one crucial step closer to the big screen.

Box Office Mojo reports that DreamWork’s Ghost in the Shell adaptation will hit theaters in 3D via Buena Vista on April 14th, 2017. While Johansson (Under the Skin, Lucy, Avengers: Age of Ultron) taking on the lead role is the only revealed casting news thus far, we know that Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) is set to direct the live-action Ghost in the Shell movie off a screenplay by William Wheeler (The Reluctant Fundamentalist). Avi Arad and Steven Paul are producing the project and Mark Sourian is executive producing. We’ll keep Daily Dead readers posted on further developments.

For those not familiar with Ghost in the Shell, here’s the synopsis and trailer for the anime release:

“2029 – A female cybernetic government agent, Major Motoko Kusanagi, and the Internal Bureau of Investigations are hot on the trail of “The Puppet Master”, a mysterious and threatening computer virus capable of infiltrating human hosts. Together, with her fellow agents from Section 9, they embark on a high-tech race against time to capture the omnipresent entity. GHOST IN THE SHELL took the world by storm, exhibiting a new dimension of anime with unprecedented, mesmerizing cinematic expression. Seamlessly merging traditional cel animation with the latest computer graphic imagery, this stunning sci-fi spectacle challenged the boundaries of mainstream animation with detailed artistic expression and a uniquely intelligent story line.”