If you have never heard of Ghost in a Shell, then you probably don't follow Japanese animation (anime), and know that it is a 1995 cyberpunk film that definitely had an adult audience in mind.  The film is considered a groundbreaking piece of animation, and it is no surprise that it is getting a live action adaptation with the one and only Scarlett Johansson in the lead.  This is what is known about Ghost in the Shell Release Date and News.

According to Movie Web, Paramount and DreamWorks Pictures have just started filming on Ghost in the Shell, and it is a film that undoubtedly will have a lot of special effects in post-production.  Johansson plays Kusanagi, a special ops cyborg who leads a counter-cyberterrorist organization called Public Security Section 9 for Hanka Robotics. 

The director of the film is Rupert Sanders, best known for his work on Snow White and the Huntsman.  Like the Hunstman, the story of Ghost in the Shell features a strong female protagonist with Kusangi who tries to stop some dangerous criminals let by The Laughing Man, played by Sam Riley. 

Ghost in the Shell, the original anime movie, is set in 2029, and the film has a very clear dystopian cyberpunk science fiction vibe that was made popular by films like Blade Runner and so forth.  No doubt the adaption will use this influence and run with it, and would probably create an R-rated film, as the original anime film was infamous for its female frontal nudity and violence. 

Ghost in the Shell will release into theaters on April 14, 2017.  It will face some stiff competition as Fast8, the Universal Studios follow up to the immensely popular Furious 7, will be debuting in theaters on the exact same date.  For this reason, some sources are saying that Ghost in the Shell could have an earlier release date of March 31, 2017. 

If Ghost in the Shell is a hit, and it would have to be a huge hit, it could be the film that anime fans want to be the tipping point.  There are a lot of anime movies that fans love and want to see adapted into live action versions. 

There was attempt to bring anime into live action when the Wachowski siblings attempted it with Speed Racer, one of the biggest anime series of all time, but the film was considered by many to be a box office flop.  Should Ghost in the Shell succeed, it could send a signal to Hollywood to green-light anime live action adaptations and start a flood of them, just like we have a flood of comic book movies.  Then classic anime films like Akira, Perfect Blue, and maybe even Studio Ghibli's films could see some live-action adaptations (some are owned by the Disney Corporation).  This could bring about some mixed results.