January 26, 2007

Production I.G, Inc. has finalized with Kodansha Ltd. an agent agreement to represent the live-action rights for the property Ghost in the Shell, of which Kodansha Ltd. owns the exploitation rights to the original work.

The comic book Ghost in the Shell, originally created by Shirow Masamune in 1989, was transposed into an animated feature film in 1995, instantly earning worldwide success and topping N. 1 of Billboard Magazine video sales chart in 1996, marking an unprecedented achievement for a Japanese animated production. The movie Ghost in the Shell, directed by Mamoru Oshii, further proved to have great influence on Hollywood creators, starting from the Wachowskis' The Matrix.

In 2004, Mamoru Oshii directed Innocence, the ideal sequel to the 1995 Ghost in the Shell movie, that thanks to its introspective plot and visionary style received the honor to be the first Japanese animated feature film to be nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Festival de Cannes.

Starting from 2002, the Ghost in the Shell franchise was expanded into a TV series, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, directed by Kenji Kamiyama. The show was certainly action-packed with high quality animation, but also featured political and social issues, and soon gained a huge following. Immediately after the first 26-episode series, a second season, entitled Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd Gig, was aired in Japan and then in several countries in the world, for a total of 52 half-hour episodes that turned into a million seller in the home video market. In 2006, a new chapter was added to the Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. project, with a theatrical-quality direct-to-video feature film entitled Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society, again directed by Kenji Kamiyama.

Pursuant to the agreement with Kodansha Ltd., Production I.G. Inc. will represent the author of the original work and the publisher in negotiations with major film companies for the production and distribution of the live-action Ghost in the Shell.

© 1995 Shirow Masamune/KODANSHA · BANDAI VISUAL · MANGA ENTERTAINMENT
© Shirow Masamune/KODANSHA · IG, ITNDDTD
© 2002-2006 Shirow Masamune - Production I.G/KODANSHA