GKIDS Bringing 4K Restoration of ‘Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence’ to Theaters for 20th Anniversary

GKIDS has acquired the theatrical distribution rights for North America to Mamoru Oshii’s animated feature Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. In celebration of the film’s 20th anniversary, GKIDS will release an all new 4K restoration of the film in cinemas nationwide this summer, following its premiere this May at the Chicago Critics Film Festival at the historic Music Box Theatre.

“We’re honored to be working with the team at Production I.G in bringing this visionary film, from a true auteur, to theatrical audiences in North America,” said GKIDS Director of Acquisitions and Development Rodney Uhler. “Mamoru Oshii was and remains, in many ways, a filmmaker ahead of his time so we’re thrilled to be able to share his film, with a beautiful, 4K remaster, with new and old audiences alike.”

First released in 2004, the film is director Oshii’s follow up to his epoch-making 1995 feature Ghost in the Shell, based on the manga created by Shirow Masamune. Imagined as a standalone return to the world of Ghost in the Shell, the story is a cyberpunk mystery centered on the character Batou from the original film.

Synopsis: In the year 2032, the line between humans and machines has been blurred almost beyond distinction. A string of murders perpetrated by a prototype android model has drawn the attention of Public Security Section 9, a unit specializing in counter cyber-terrorism. With none of the victims’ families pressing charges, suspicions arise regarding the nature of the androids and their production company. In the course of the investigation, the almost entirely cyber-bodied agent Batou, and his still human partner Togusa embark on a journey through a technological dystopia, taking on ferocious Yakuza thugs, devious hackers, government bureaucrats, and corporate criminals to uncover the shocking truth behind the crime.

Like the 1995 film, Innocence was brought to screen by Production I.G, and features a score by composer Kenji Kawai. Production I.G co-founder Mitsuhisa Ishikawa also returned as producer, joined by Academy Award-winning producer and Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki. The film celebrated its international debut in competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival — the first and only anime in history to compete for the Palme d’Or.

The acquisitions deal was negotiated between Rodney Uhler of GKIDS and Francesco Prandoni of Production I.G. The studio’s features A Letter to Momo (2011), Giovanni’s Island (2014), Miss Hokusai (2015) and The Deer King (2021), are also distributed by GKIDS.