Look, I’m not unreasonable. When it was announced that there was aGhost in the ShellEnglish-language remake being shopped around, I made one obnoxious, guttural grunt of frustration and exasperation and then I closed my trap for good. Okay, not for good, but for the most part, I’m trying to stay positive with the whole mishigas, even withScarlett Johanssonin the lead role and a distinctly not-Japanese director behind the whole thing.
My attempts at remaining optimistic took a major hit this morning, however, whenVarietyannounced thatSteven Paul, one of the main producers behind theGhost in the Shellremake, had optioned a major tome in the belovedLone Wolf and Cubmanga series. WhereasGhost in the Shellhas remained a manga and an anime series, which makes a live-action remake interesting in the most basic terms,Lone Wolf and Cubhas already been made into a series of very good films, telling the story of the titular father and son who wander Japan in the time of the Shoguns, after the paterfamilias gives up the life of a samurai to become an assassin for hire. The manga was also the basis for a TV series.
My argument against such an idea is incredibly familiar - it’s already good; don’t ruin it - but there’s an unexpected upside to this latest pillaging of the vaults. Paul has said that he’s looking for an all-Japanese cast to play the main characters in the adaptation, which signals that he’s probably learned his lesson from theGhost in the Shellwhitewashing controversy. The film will shoot in Thailand and China throughout 2017, around the same time thatGhost in the Shellis scheduled to see release on March 31st. And though I’m not crazy about the idea of either of these properties being hulled out of their cultural and historical depth, the uniquely Japanese thematic pressure points that can be found throughout each, there’s always a chance this could turn out great, if a lot of smart decisions are made. Cross your fingers and toes, everyone.
