It’s been almost a year since fans discovered that the legendary anime seriesGhost in the Shellwas getting rebooted, and after virtually no news of the adaptation,Bandai Namco Filmworksdecided to break radio silence and provide the first few details of the reboot series, which will be titled simplyThe Ghost in the Shell. The company announced the title and visuals through a teaser trailer and poster, and revealed a release window for the title: fans can expect to see theanime seriesin 2026.
The Ghost in the Shellwill hail from a production committee that includes Bandai Namco Filmworks andScience SARU— the production company behindDanDaDan. The project will be directed byMoko-chan, who will make a directing debut after being a key animator atDanDaDan.Toh Enjoe(Godzilla Singular Point) will write and oversee screenplays andShūhei Handa(Little Witch Academia) will serve as character designer and chief animation director.
In an official statement,Ghost in the Shellmanga creatorMasamune Shirowcelebrated the new development, commented onGhost in the Shell’s many adaptations and teased the upcoming reboot’s visuals. He wrote:
“Anime adaptation-wise, this new ‘The Ghost in the Shell’ marks the fourth version following those by [Mamoru Oshii], [Kenji Kamiyama], and [Kazuchika Kise]. Alternatively, if we separate ‘Ghost in the Shell’ and ‘Innocence,’ categorize the ‘S.A.C.’ series into Seasons 1, 2, and Solid State Society, [then] divide ‘ARISE’ into its own series along with The New Movie, and split ‘SAC_2045’ into Seasons 1 and 2, this would be the tenth adaptation overall. Considering the shift in production staff, one could even consider this the first installment of a second generation. The original manga is quite old, so I ask for your understanding on that point (sorry!). That said, I sincerely hope this will once again be an enjoyable visual experience in some form.”
‘The Ghost In The Shell’ Might Start an Exciting Era For The Franchise
The “second generation” comment of Masamune might hint at a complete reboot ofThe Ghost in The Shell. In the last two decades, the entries in the franchise have mostly built upon the originalanime moviethat was first released in 1995. A reboot could completely reshape the original title, since we live in a much different world technologically speaking and the story takes place in themid-21st century.
In 2017, a live-action movie starringScarlett Johansson(The Phoenician Scheme) hinted at the possibilities of modernizing the story, but thecontroversies surrounding the projectdidn’t help its box office performance and overall reception. The movie landeda 43% scoreonRotten Tomatoes.
The Ghost in the Shellanime will debut in 2026. A specific release window is yet to be announced. You can check out the teaser for the new series above and the poster below:
