In 2017, Hollywood decided to do a live-action remake of an iconic Japanese anime. Paramount Pictures hires Rupert Sanders to direct “Ghost in the Shell” with Scarlett Johansson in the lead role.
Ghost in the shell : the live-action version
It is a habit in Hollywood to take again the great foreign successes to make American remakes of them. It is also a habit for them to transform animated works into a live version. And that’s what Paramount Pictures decided to do with the cult animated film Ghost in the shell. The studio hires Rupert Sanders, the director of Snow White and the Hunter to offer spectators a new version of Ghost in the shell, in real shots this time around. Casting side, the cast consists in particular of Scarlett Johansson in the title role, Takeshi Kitano or Juliette Binoche.
Unfortunately for Paramount, this remake was not particularly well received by the press and spectators. On the box office side, the feature film was also a certain disappointment with $ 169 million in revenue for a budget of $ 110 million, thus burying possible follow-up projects.
What does designer Mamoru Oshii think?
Initially, Ghost in the shell is an incredibly cult animated film released in 1997 directed by Mamoru Oshii. Adapted from the eponymous novel by Masamune Shirow, published from 1991 to 1996, the animated film met with immense critical and popular success. With only $ 918,738 million in box office revenue at the time of its release, Ghost in the shell gained influence over time. So much so that other feature films have been released with, in particular Ghost in the Shell 2, which was founded in 2004, still managed by Mamoru Oshii.
But in fact, What does Mamoru Oshii think of Rupert Sanders’ live-action version? Strangely, the author of the iconic 1997 animated film finds the American version very successful. The filmmaker does not hesitate to sing the praises of Rupert Sanders’ work:
Rupert made the story his own. It is the most beautiful film ever made on this story. Rupert started with composition, colors and lighting. As a director, it seems to me that a director should be able to shoot whatever he has in mind and that’s what I wanted Rupert to do. Scarlett Johansson far exceeded my expectations as the Major.
Rupert Sanders’ version airs tonight on W9.
