Science Saru Are Making More 'The Ghost In The Shell'
Ghost In The Shell is one of the most recognisable names in anime and manga. Following the success of the latest incarnation, Ghost In The Shell, it has been revealed that the franchise is getting another new project.
Originally created by Masamune Shirow, the cyberpunk sci-fi began life as a manga, originally serialised from 1989 to 1991. The original comics were adapted into animation numerous times by the studio Production IG. Most famously, Mamoru Oshii directed the 1995 movie Ghost In The Shell and its 2004 sequel Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence. In 2002, the anime television series Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex was released. As the name indicates, it was a new continuity, completely separate from the movies, and stylistically very different. A second season, subtitled Second Gig, followed in 2004. Both seasons were also adapted into OAVs (Original Animation Videos). Stand Alone Complex concluded with the 2006 release of the SAC movie Solid State Society, which originally screened on TV but had some theatrical showings. 2013 saw the release of Ghost In The Shell: ARISE, a prequel OAV series that was later edited into a TV series, Alternative Architecture. In 2015, Ghost In The Shell: The New Movie concluded the ARISE series, although spiritually it felt more like GITS: SAC.
In 2017 came the release of Rupert Sanders' live-action Ghost In The Shell movie. Despite some impressive visuals, the film received a backlash for casting Scarlett Johansson as the Major, rather than a Japanese or Asian actress. Sanders' vision was heavily based on the 1995 film. It failed to connect with audiences and was ultimately a box office bomb.
The next series would be the first CGI-animated series in the franchise, produced by Production IG with Sola Digital Arts (Blade Runner: Black Lotus). Ghost In The Shell: SAC_2045 ran for two 12-episode seasons on Netflix. Each season was also edited into a theatrical release.
The latest series would shake things up considerably. New animation studio Science Saru (Dan Da Dan, Devilman Crybaby) took things back to the very beginning, with the most faithful adaptation of the manga yet. The Ghost In The Shell (the definitive article distinguishing it from the others) streamed on Amazon Prime from summer 2026. Its art style was taken directly from Shirow's and the mood could hardly be more different than Oshii's uber-serious take on the material. In adapting the original manga, it ended up covering the same Puppet Master story arc seen in the 1995 film and also in Solid State Society. The series has divided GITS fans, some of whom much prefer the darker style of the original films.
Bandai Namco Filmworks have announced that Science Saru are working on a new anime project for The Ghost In The Shell. No other details have been announced at this time. We don't know what format it will take. Will it be a second season, or perhaps a movie or OAV (or ONA- Original Net Animation)? It's tempting to think that if it was just a second season, they would just come out and say that. The sense of mystery around this gives cause for pause.
If you've seen the first season to the end (spoilers ahead), you'll know that certain major changes to the status quo would make a second season tricky. Unless they go the Innocence route and change the central character (spoilers end). A movie would have the same issue, unless they do what the creators of Cowboy Bebop: The Movie did, and set it in a time before the end of the series. The manga was continued in GITS 1.5: Human Error Processor (1991-1996) and GITS 2: Man-Machine Interface (1997), so there is plenty more material to be adapted.
With no other information revealed, we don't know how long we'll be waiting to see this new project, whatever it may be. If you enjoyed the 2026 series, then this is exciting news. If it wasn't for you, then you're probably not going to like it either way. But luckily there's an awful lot of Ghost In The Shell out there to choose from!
The Ghost In The Shell season one is now streaming on Amazon.
