Mamoru Oshii (61), the director of the 1995 anime, "Ghost in the Shell" was recently announced as having an undisclosed role in Tohokushinsha Film Corporation's live-action adaptation of "Patlabor." Oshii has actually directed nearly every "Patlabor" OVA, anime episode and anime film to date, however, "Ghost in the Shell" is definitely his calling-card. What role Oshii will play in the project was left undisclosed, he could be directing (he has previous live-action experience) or simply acting as a consultant. "Patlabor" is actually the product of HEADGEAR, a Japanses manga/anime group that consists of Oshii, Kazunori Itō (screenwriter), Masami Yuki (manga artist), Yutaka Izubuchi (mechanical/robot designer)and Akemi Takada (character designer). HEADGEAR will co-produce the live-action film with Tohokushinsha subsidiary, Omnibus Japan. The film is currently slated for a release some time in 2014 but to date, there have been no cast announcements.
Oshii is a world renown anime director with select works having previously competed for various prestigious awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival.
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"Patlabor, also known as Mobile Police Patlabor, is an anime and manga series created by super-group Headgear, which is comprised of industry legends Mamoru Oshii, writer Kazunori Itō, mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi, character designer Akemi Takada, and manga artist Masami Yūki. The story takes place in what was, at the time of release, the near future of 1998-2002. Robots called "Labors" are employed in heavy construction work. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police has its own fleet of Patlabor robotic police officers to combat crimes and deal with accidents involving Labors. The story arcs usually revolve around Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicle Section 2, Division 2. Noa Izumi is the main protagonist of the series, but all of Division 2 play roles. "