DreamWorks' long-awaited live-action adaptation ofGhost in the Shellis finally moving forward, after spending years in development, withScarlett Johanssoncoming aboard back in January to star.Deadlinereports thatMaleficentandPride and Prejudice and ZombiesstarSam Rileyis in early talks to play the primaryvillain, known as The Laughing Man. If his deal is finalized, he will join a cast that also includesPilou Asbæk.
Ghost in the Shellis based on the beloved Japanese anime created by Masamune Shirow, centering on a covert ops unit for Hanka Robotics entitled Section 9. The unit specializes in stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, led by The Laughing Man (Sam Riley), whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka’s advancements in cyber technology. The original series spawned a number of anime movies such asGhost In The Shell(1996),Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence(2004), Ghost in the Shell: Individual Eleven (2005), Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society (2006) and Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (2008).
Rupert Sanders, who made hisdirectorial debutin 2012 withSnow White and the Huntsman, is directing from a script most recently written by Jonathan Herman (Straight Outta Compton). Other writers such as Jamie Moss (Street Kings) and William Wheeler (The Tourist) have also worked on the script. Paramount Pictures is co-financingGhost in the Shellwith DreamWorks, withproductionslated to begin in early 2016.
Avi Aradand Steven Paul are producing, with Mark Sourian, Michael Costigan, Jeffrey Silver, Tetsu Fujimura and Mitsuhisa Ishikawa serving as executive producers. This adaptation has long been a passion project for DreamWorks’Steven Spielberg, but it isn’t known if he will be involved as a producer or executive producer quite yet. DreamWorks has already set a March 31, 2017release date, which puts this adaptation up against Sony’sGet Smurfy.
Sam Riley’s breakthrough performance came in the 2007 drama, where he played Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis. He also portrayed Jack Kerouac in 2013’sOn the Roadand Diaval, the faithful servant ofAngelina Jolie’s title character inMaleficent. He will next be seen inPride and Prejudice and ZombiesandFree Fire, both set for release next year. What do you think aboutSam RileyjoiningGhost in the Shell?
