the-shrike.net

It seems that the rights for the production of a Live-Action movie of that all time masterpiece (and one of my all time favourite) in manga/anime/science-fiction that is Ghost in the Shell have been sold to DreamWorks and that the designated director will be Stephen Spielberg.

A R G H!
That has been my first reaction to the news, and apparently I’m not the only one being worried around.

It’s not just the always present fear of the fan-base to see its sacred and favourite passion torn away by someone who doesn’t have a clue what he/she/it is dealing with, and not even only the reasonable and pratically proven rules that a 2 hours Hollywood movie won’t be able to express nothing even remotely close to the complexity required by something like GITS. I mean, I loved Jackson’s work on the Lord Of The Ring, but nevertheless, I felt some pain in seeing how badly the transposition was from the book, and we’re talking about something I regard as a miracle: I was expecting far worse. Maybe Peter Jackson had the right ideas, maybe he was lucky, maybe he simply found himself inspired enough to give his maximum, and still the result was great but somehow disappointing for “us” fun, and rightly so, I believe.
Now take Spielberg, the present one not the E.T or Schindler’s List or Amistad one, but the producer/director who destroied A.I and raped War of the Worlds and Minority Report… it’s a nightmare coming true for any GITS fan out there. Just like knowing that except for a miracle (and I’d call a cancellation of the live-action project one) your favourite creature is going to be tortured and eventually killed in a way only Hollywood is known to do, and we all are aware of how much Hollywood-ian Spielberg is, especially lately. We’ve seen this happening before with japanese productions taken to the big-screen by the USA industry, we’re going to see it with Dragonball (again: unless the usual miracle) and I really fear not even Maj. Kusanagi could escape safely this time.

There are things that should never be included in a “let's make a movie to pile up some cash“-list, certainly GITS is one of them.
Nothing is listed on IMDB yet, let’s hope this is going to remain on someone’s desk forever!

A new painting of François Baranger appeared recently on Dan Simmons’ website. It’s another portrait of the mighty Shrike from the Hyperion saga written by Simmons himself.
That’s not only one of the most amazing thing I’ve ever read, but as you can clearly understand by the name of this domain the Shrike is my favourite character from the books.

While I’m still waiting to hear the big news about the making of a movie on that story, it’s really nice to see in pictures things that I’m so used to imagine in my mind (after reading all the four books saga about three times by now, I’ve a clear imagination about everything that’s inside it - I must say I’ve only read Lord of The Ring more: seven times in total…) pictured in such an amazing way.

© of François Baranger

There are another two different versions of the Shrike on Baranger’s webpage, in the paintings 2002-2004 section. Take a look at them (and at all his other workings… they’re worth it) and follow my advice: read the Hyperion saga. NOW!

Oh my god, read at this:

Production I.G has revealed in a stock disclosure that the upcoming Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Solid State Society will be a 100 minute movie released in summer 2006. Anime News Network reports the movie is being produced in Hi-Vision, a format used by Japanese broadcast networks to support wide-screen televisions. The same production team, including main staff, will be carried over from the TV series. It takes place two years after the refugee riot incident. A significantly larger Section 9, with over 20 new officers, investigates terrorist actions related to a wizard-like hacker “Kugutsu Mawashi.”
(Source: Randomwire.com)

I have just finished to buy the first Stand Alone Complex season in DVD, and let me miss some other lunches and I will rich enough to be able to pay for all the second season ones too.
If you don’t know what I am talking about, trust me when I say you’re losing something fundamental in history of science-fiction-anime-cyberpunk-and-whatever for this millenium, because nothing is like Ghost In The Shell (and its many spin-offs and/or sequel).
It’s dreamy, it’s evocative, it’s science-fiction and philosphy mixed together at the highest level anyone could ever imagine… it’s just pure magic in the form of drawn art (to be right: written art, before…). Masamune Shirow is a genius, and there is no better way to understand that than to read to its manga, or to watch Ghost in The Shell.

If you like science fiction, this is a must everyone should see at least once in his/her lifetime, and right now, when everyone (including me) were thinking that with Innocence and Stand Alone Complex (1 & 2) everything had came to an end, *puff* another movie is about to be relased.
That’s going to be fantastic, trust me, we’re not going to be disappointed.

That’s exciting: from now on I am officially counting the days separating me from Solid State Society’s relase. ^___^

I am so sad for this.

Andreas, you will be missed! :°