First Teaser For The New GHOST IN THE SHELL

It's probably just my nostalgia, but the original just had a gritty existential intensity that later versions and sequels just don't have.
After hearing about the news that Scarlett Johansson was going to be Major Kusanagi in the film, I re-watched the original and came to the conclusion that a live-action movie, with or with the Whitewashing, doesn't stand a chance at being even within the ballpark of just how good the original film was.

I've only ever seen the original Ghost In The Shell, which I liked but it was no Akira. No idea how the story progressed...is it still all of the same characters?

There is no way in hell that Hollywood would ever make a movie as haunting, complex (and inaccessible) as the original. The mainstream audiences would never get into it. And it's not like it has a particularly good director attached either. "Snow White and the huntsman." Come on.....

@MexicanSuperman - The main difference for me between Shirow's Ghost in the Shell and Sakurazaka's All you Need is Kill (which Edge of Tomorrow is loosely based on) is pop culture impact and notoriety.

Ghost in The Shell, much like Akira, has permeated the geek culture over the years and has had a major influence in Hollywood most notably (on people like the Wachowskis for instance), and so it's not an obscure property to the layman like All You Need is Kill. Plus, All You Need is Kill has a much more multicultural roster of characters (Japanese, Brazilian, American... even Native-American). For me, it's well worth the risk to cast at the very least an Asian for the main lead (with someone like Rinko Kikuchi for example). You don't really need a famous white actress for the role, because the whole concept behind Ghost in the Shell is so deep and rich that it can sell itself. It should not be watered down by Hollywood often clumsy hands.

But let's forget about casting for a minute and talk about the talent behind the camera. Rupert Sanders, of Snow White and The Huntsman fame. A pretty bland and by-the-numbers flick that will be forgotten soon (if it hasn't already). Especially concerning is the way he directed the main lead in that movie. And let's not even get into what happened between them after work...
William Wheeler on the screenplay. Dude Wrote The Hoax and The Reluctant Fundamentalist, pretty average Drama/Thriller movies. Now he can still pull off a decent script for GitS, but the odds are stacked against him.

My prediction is this remake will be your average PG-13 thriller, with enough cyberpunk elements to evoke the original property, a ton of action, but ultimately very little of the more adult themes surrounding the cybernetization of society, "ghosting", and the general blurring of the lines between man and machine in an era of highly advanced technological integration.

We'll see. I'm not optimistic, given studios' propensity to take their audience for unintelligent buffoons who only want explosions and don't mind terrible scripts, but hey ! There's always a chance it could be good, however small it is :)

Hopefully this will be a good new direction to get GITS back into the Stand Alone Complex style story lines. I didn't care to much for the Rise series as it was a prequel to original Movie and SAC but changed things around in a way that didn't make much sense. Also the art direction in Rise I am not a fan of. One thing I don't like about all of the Ghost movies and series is they always try to rehash the Puppet Master hacker/AI from the first movie, but give him a different name. The first movie and seasons 1 and 2 of SAC are the best Ghost has to offer.

The movie and series are great... Can't wait. Lookie what I found.

http://mic.com/articles/107856/the-next-scarlett-johansson-movie-illustrates-a-huge-problem-with-race-in-hollywood

Soforizo - The original is still gorgeous. Undoubtedly one of the prettiest japanese animated films ever made. Like Akira, it will be evergreen. :)

I like most of the various Ghost In The Shell titles. SAC and Arise are enjoyable. I think the first movie is the actual stand out masterpiece of the entire franchise, but I'll be fine if the new movie is "only" as good the various television shows.

As for the Hollywood movie. I am sure it will end up like the Total Recall and Robocop remakes. Bland, watered down and UTTERLY FORGOTTEN within a month.

I just hope the artwork is a lot better than the Arise serie's is. I also hope they rollback some of the character changes such as The Major gaining her cyborg body as a small child and not as a unborn foetus, as what is stated in Arise.

i think i just came in my pants that was awesome freaking love ghost in the shell

Stand Alone Complex is great and well worth your time, highly recommended! But that is more a high-tech cop/action series. It doesn't have the philosophical elements, the meditations on the human condition that made the first movie something special. Then of course "Innocence" ONLY had philosophical ramblings which made it quite ponderous and unbearable. Too much Mamoru Oshii can also be detrimental after all.... :)

How I would rate the Ghost In The Shell franchise

1st Ghost In The Shell
2nd Ghost In The Shell:The Laughing Man
3rd Ghost In The Shell:The Individual Eleven
4th Ghost In The Shell:Innocence
5th Ghost In The Shell:Solid State Society
6th Ghost In The Shell:Arise Borders One & Two

@NathimusPrime

The actual Anime show,you know Ghost in the Shell:Stand Alone Complex Season 1 & 2 Boxed Set,I believe it was about 30 episodes a season.