Back in January 2007 we heard of plans for a live-action adaptation of the extremely popular manga series Ghost in the Shell which was set to be made from the same studio who had previously worked on the two animated films.

Over a year later and Variety say the project has now landed at Dreamworks with plans to make a 3-D live action version. Steven Spielberg was said to be the deciding factor (Sony & Universal were bidding for it too) as he is a big fan of the series, though he probably won’t direct.

The story follows the exploits of a member of a covert ops unit of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission that specializes in fighting technology-related crime.

I have seen the first Ghost in the Shell and I really didn’t like it but I’m willingly able to admit that I’m completely in the minority on that one. It’s my complete prejudice against anime/manga because I really struggle to get into the that kind of animated form.

If I were a fan of the series - I would be extremely worried about it falling into an American studio’s hands. Remember stuff like Aeon Flux and Ultraviolet? That’s the kind of crap that Hollywood can come up with in this genre. Rarely does something like The Matrix come along.

Jamie Moss (Street Kings) will write the script with former Marvel head honcho Ari Arad one of the producers. Steven Spielberg will probably also look over the production.