Will the New ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Adaptation Right the Wrongs of the Past?
Maggie KwanJuly 6, 2026, 5:30 pm
What To Know
- The new Ghost in the Shell adaptation by Science Saru premieres on July 7 on Prime Video.
- Previous adaptations, including the acclaimed 1995 and 2004 anime films and the controversial 2017 Hollywood movie, have received mixed reactions.
- The upcoming series’ trailer is raising hopes among fans for an authentic adaptation.
The Ghost in the Shell, premiering on July 7 on Prime Video, is a new adaptation of the franchise from the animation studio Science Saru, which also worked on shows such as Scott Pilgrim Takes Off and Dandadan. This new series is yet another addition to the iconic cyberpunk franchise, where some adaptations from the manga are better received than others. Only time will tell if this new anime will suffer the same fate
The original manga from Masamune Shirow, which ran from 1989 until 1990, takes place in the year 2029 in the fictional high-tech New Port City. The series protagonist, cyborg Major Motoko Kusanagi, works with her security team, Public Security Section 9, to put a stop to the Puppeteer, an AI program that can hack a cyborg’s “ghost,” or their human soul
The manga is regarded by many fans as a trippy — and at times, gory — adventure into the world of cybernetics, the human psyche, and questions of governments using technology for good and evil, to name a few themes. The series later went on to help define ’90s manga and anime and even influenced Lilly and Lana Wachowski; allegedly, when the directing duo created The Matrix, they told producers they wanted to combine action techniques from Ghost in the Shell and talent from real people
The manga was later adapted into a 1995 movie with the same name, starring Atsuko Tanaka as Kusanagi, and a 2004 sequel, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. Both the 1995 and 2004 films were highly lauded, appearing in Rotten Tomatoes’ top 100 list of the best anime movies of all time at #14 and #99, respectively
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Then, in 2008, Steven Spielberg acquired the rights to the manga for a live-action Hollywood adaptation. Originally meant to be a 3-D film, it was later developed into a 2017 sci-fi movie directed by Rupert Sanders and starring Scarlett Johansson. Johansson’s casting as Kusanagi, who was renamed “Mira Killian,” drew criticism for whitewashing Asian roles
As questions about AI’s relationship with humanity become a prominent topic again, it’s no wonder that Ghost in the Shell has found its way to the cultural zeitgeist. Promisingly, the series trailer, which was released on May 10 and is done in ’90s art style, is so far a good sign to those hoping for a faithful adaptation to the
Even better, the glimpses of Major Kusanagi we get in the trailer feel more faithful to her depiction in the manga. Besides her bad-ass leader personality, she is also a comic character, someone who is both cheeky and exaggerates some expressions for comedic effect. The English dub of the anime also features a stacked voice cast, including Suzie Yeung as Kusanagi, SungWon Cho as Chief Daisuke Aramaki, and Bill Butts as second-in-command Batou. To fans who have been hoping for a version of Ghost in the Shell that is as faithful to Shirow’s vision as possible, the wait might soon be over.
The Ghost in the Shell, Series Premiere, Tuesday, July 7, Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video
Series
2026–
Anime
Science fiction
Action
The Ghost in the Shell (2026)Lana WachowskiLilly WachowskiScarlett JohanssonSteven Spielberg
