Movie Matchmaker: Who Should Direct Ghost in the Shell?
by Tom Burns

MATCH #1 (a.k.a. "The Betty"): The Wachowskis' Ghost in the Shell

Being such fiercely independent (and occasionally eccentric) filmmakers, it would probably piss Larry and Andy Wachowski to know that The Deadbolt regards them as the "safe" choice to direct a live-action Ghost in the Shell feature, but their familiarity with the material and genre and bankable box office history really does make them an obscenely obvious choice for the job. For starters, The Matrix could potentially be called mainstream Hollywood's first attempt at making a live-action manga film, and the Wachowski have even cited the 1995 Ghost anime as an influence on the original Matrix. Take one look at any of the Matrix films or, even more obviously, The Animatrix animated DVD series, and it's clear that the Brothers are up on their manga. Not to mention that the Wachowskis' most recent project, Speed Racer, is probably the most literal attempt to date of Hollywood filmmakers trying to translate the visual energy and aesthetic of Japanese anime into live-action. Two of the hallmarks of Ghost in the Shell, in terms of style and story, are a focus on the tentative line between man and technology and, to be blunt, kick-ass cybernetic fight scenes. That's pretty much what the Wachowskis were going for in all three Matrix movies, so they shouldn't have a hard time understanding the material. You can find a lot of parallels between Neo and "The Major" Motoko - who are pretty much held as two of the most popular protagonists in the entire cyberpunk genre.

And there are logistic reasons that make this match even more appealing. Directing a live-action 3D anime is not going to be an easy gig. Sure, James Cameron has been working in his evil genius lab for years, making Avatar specifically to appeal to the burgeoning advances in 3D technology, but not every director in Hollywood is comfortable working with bleeding-edge technology. However, the Wachowskis have never shied away from a technological challenge yet, bringing an inventive and innovative forward-thinking mentality to the Matrix movies and beyond. If you stick the Wachowskis behind the lens of a live-action 3D Ghost movie, you're not going to have to worry that they won't be able to handle the FX. OK, you might have to worry that they'll have the Architect show up and recite an incomprehensible 40-page monologue, but the tech stuff - no problem. And, since this is, unquestionably, going to be a big and expensive undertaking for DreamWorks, aren't they going to want a director (or directors) with a proven track record, both with the manga material and with making big-budget blockbusters work? In fact, the only reason we can think why the Wachowskis wouldn't want to do the Ghost in the Shell movie is because so much of their past work is so either similar or inspired by Ghost in the first place that they might not want to repeat themselves. But, let's not forget, sometimes the obvious choice is best.

ALTERNATES (for "The Betty" version):

There are not a lot of filmmakers who bring the same experience that the Wachowskis bring to the table. In fact, if we HAVE to search for a replacement for the DreamWorks 3D version, we'd almost lean towards directors who might not have the same manga street cred, but instead, have experience with blending emerging technologies with solid storytelling. Robert Zemeckis comes to mind - he has a history with Spielberg, he's a tech wiz, and he knows and understands a good story. Granted, some anime fans might see Bobby Z as a bit old and safe, but there was a nice anti-social edge to Beowulf that seems to suggest that Mr. Forrest Gump is ready to take some chances in his old ages. (He has announced that he wants to direct an adaptation of Nicholson Baker's The Fermata, with a script by Neil Gaiman... that's pretty hardcore). We really liked what Gil Kenan did with Monster House (we're hearing good things about his next one, City of Ember) or perhaps we should look to the Pixar campus and see if Andrew Stanton or Brad Bird might be interested in going cyberpunk.

Movie Matchmaker: Who Should Direct Ghost in the Shell? Page 3