Live-Action Ghost In The Shell (2017) will be a cult classic

So the live-action Ghost In The Shell movie came and went, and with it, the dream of seeing a high-quality Hollywood produced live-action anime, such as Akira or Battle Angel, took another big step backwards. Fans and critics were, for the most part, on the same page, as the film only made $40M in its first month in the US, and it’s Rotten Tomatoes score sits (at the time of this writing), at 46%. So the immediate reaction is to say that this movie is a bust. But that may or may or be the case. In fact, I am positive that in a few years, future critics and audiences will react more favorable to this film. Continue reading

Jennifer Connelly will be the villain for Alita: Battle Angel

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Jennifer Connelly will play a villain in Alita: Battle Angel, the James Cameron-produced film based on manga “Battle Angel Alita”, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

Connelly, known for her roles in films like LabyrinthRequiem for a Dream, and House of Sand and Fog won an Academy Award for her performance in A Beautiful Mind in 2001. Continue reading

Proving That This is Actually Happening, Paramount Releases First Image Of Scarlett Johansson in ‘Ghost In The Shell’

The western adaptation of the anime awesomeness that is Ghost in the Shell has officially entered production with its first still from the film. Scarlett Johansson is not exactly busting out of her Black Widow stereotype, by still proving to be a stone-cold killer in bringing this comic book series to life!

The first released image shows us Johansson’s Major Matoko Kusanagi, the protagonist of the film and a one-of-a-kind human-cyborg hybrid. Her role in the movie is to investigate the death of an arms dealer, one year after the end of WWIV. Continue reading

New Live-Action Ghost in the Shell Details Revealed

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A new screenwriter has been brought in to do an overhaul on the live-action version of Ghost in the Shell, says the Hollywood Reporter.

The new writer is Jonathan Herman, who wrote this year’s Straight Outta Compton, the film about hip hop group N.W.A. Like for Ghost in the Shell, Herman was brought in to do a rewrite on that film after it had been tackled by several other writers.

Hollywood Reporter also dropped a few hints about the plot of Ghost in the Shell, which is set to open March 31, 2017: Continue reading

James Cameron Hires Robert Rodriguez to Direct ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL


James Cameron has been wanting to get his big screen live action adaptation of Alita: Battle Angel off the ground for a very, very long time. Then he started work on all those Avatar sequels which have him tied up over the next several years. He’s obviously not going to have the opportunity to direct Alita: Battle Angel anytime soon, so he and his producing partner Jon Landau are going to hire someone else to do it. Continue reading

Imagine Entertainment to produce live-action anime

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One of the more interesting anime-related announcements out of New York Comic Con came from Bandai Namco Pictures, which announced plans for a live-action Hollywood take on superhero anime Tiger & Bunny. The process is in very early stages—they’re still looking for a screenwriter, director, and all the talent involved—but Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are set up to produce the film at Imagine Entertainment. Continue reading

Lionsgate Ramping Up ‘Naruto’ Movie with Michael Gracey

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Lionsgate has signed Michael Gracey to direct an adaptation of the popular Japanese manga series “Naruto.”

The studio is in negotiations for the film rights to the “Naruto” series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto, first published in 1997. The manga, which has sold more than 200 million copies in print, follows adolescent ninja Naruto Uzumaki, who dreams of becoming the village ninja, the community’s protector and leader.

Avi Arad and his son Ari Arad are producing through Arad Productions. Erik Feig, Geoff Shaveitz and Kelly O’Malley will oversee for the studio.

“Naruto” has generated an anime series in Japan that premiered in 2002 and lasted 220 episodes, while the “Naruto: Shippuden” sequel has been airing since 2007. In addition to the anime series, Studio Pierrot has developed 10 movies.

Gracey is a former visual effects specialist who has moved into directing. He’s been attached to several studio projects that are in development — Universal’s adaptation of the New York Times best-seller “Daughter of Smoke and Bone,” his Elton John biopic, Rocketman, with Tom Hardy attached and Fox’s P.T. Barnum biopic, The Greatest Showman on Earth.

Scarlett Johansson’s GHOST IN THE SHELL Release Date Moved Up

Director Rupert Sanders’ (Snow White and the Huntsman) live action take on the classic anime Ghost in the Shell will be released a little earlier than expected. Disney and DreamWorks have announced that the release date of the film has moved from April 14th, 2017 to March 31st, 2017. Continue reading