It appears the script for DreamWorks’ Ghost in the Shell adaptation needs considerable work, and they’re going to an unlikely source for the fix. Per THRStraight Outta Compton screenwriter Jonathan Herman has been set to do an “overhaul” on the screenplay for the film, which has Scarlett Johansson set to star with Snow White and the Huntsman filmmaker Rupert Sanders directing.

Based on Masamune Shirow’s Japanese comics of the same name, Ghost in the Shell follows a special ops cyborg (played in the film by Johansson) working for Section 9 who is tasked with stopped dangerous criminals and extremists who threaten advancements in cyber technology.


Previous drafts of Ghost in the Shell were penned by William Wheeler and Jamie Moss, but apparently DreamWorks felt it prudent to do more significant work before filming begins in New Zealand early next year. Herman has experience in this department, as he also performed a serious rewrite on Straight Outta Compton that finally got the film ready for production. It eventually went on to be one of Universal's surprise hits of the year, as it's nearing the $200 million mark at the box office and the studio is ramping up an awards campaign.

Johansson is currently still the only actor attached to Ghost in the Shell, but as Herman gets to work on the screenplay, I expect that will change in the next couple of months. The film is slated for release on March 31, 2017.

ghost-in-the-shell-anime