Ghost in the Shell Live-Action Movie Finds New Writer

Ghost in the Shell was one of the key anime films to break through to a western audience during the 1990s. A live-action Hollywood adaptation has been on the cards for many years, but now the project is moving ahead, with the announcement of a new writer.

The Tracking Board is reporting that Jonathan Herman, the writer of the recent hip-hop drama Straight Outta Compton, has been hired to take on a major rewrite on the film. Herman was brought in for a similar role on Compton, and it was his draft of that script that got the film greenlit. The NWA biopic has since gone on to make nearly $200 million worldwide.

Ghost in the Shell is currently set for a March 2017 release. Earlier this year, Scarlett Johansson confirmed that she would be taking the lead role, with Rupert Sanders directing. Sanders previously helmed 2012's fantasy Snow White and the Huntsman.

Ghost in the Shell was created by Masamune Shirow, and originally published as a manga series in 1989. It is set in the Tokyo of the future, and focuses upon a counter-cyberterrorist organization known as Public Security Section 9.

The popularity of the manga led to four anime movies, the latest of which, Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie, was released earlier this year. There have also been a number of video games.