Ghost in the Shell the 3-D Treatment

DreamWorks has picked up the rights to the hugely popular Japanese manga Ghost in the Shell and has plans to turn the sci-fi story into a 3-D live-action feature.

Variety reports Ghost in the Shell was first created by Masamune Shirow and published in 1989. Since then, it has become a huge franchise with two additional manga editions, three anime films, an anime television series, and three videogame adaptations.

DreamWorks released Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence in the U.S. in 2004, and beat out Universal and Sony to the Ghost in the Shell rights after Steven Spielberg took interest in the franchise.

In Variety, Spielberg stated: "'Ghost in the Shell' is one of my favorite stories. It's a genre that has arrived, and we enthusiastically welcome it to DreamWorks."

The new film will be produced by Avi Arad, Ari Arad and Steven Paul of Seaside Entertainment. Jamie Moss (who penned Street Kings) is set to write the new screenplay which will follow the exploits of a member of a covert ops unit of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission. The unit specializes in technology-related crime.

DreamWorks’ Adam Goodman has stated he believes Ghost in the Shell is a franchise that “epitomizes 3-D live-action motion picture possibilities."

Avi Arad has made a name for himself in the film industry with his involvement in comic-based projects thanks to his ties to the Spider-Man franchise, the X-Men films, and the two Fantastic Four movies. He was also involved in bringing Iron Man to the movies and bringing back the Incredible Hulk for another go on the big screen.