Based on the Japanese manga novel that sprouted several animated movies and television shows, Ghost in the Shell is finally coming to theaters in a live-action version next spring, from director Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman). Ghost in the Shell, inspired in part by the influential Arthur Koestler philosophical study Ghost in the Machine (resulting in the manga’s title), is a popular cyberpunk story of the dangers of cybernetics.
As with the original manga, the story follows a tough woman hero called The Major, who had an accident as a youth necessitating significant borg prosthetics.
In fact cyborg brains are commonplace in the future Earth of Ghost in the Shell. Scarlett Johansson stars in the film, along with Juliette Binoche and Takeshi Kitano. Check out this first trailer, which evokes some Blade Runner scenes and cityscapes:
