DreamWorks, the American film production company, has grabbed the rights to adapt Masamune Shirow's 'Ghost in the Shell' cyber-police comics into a 3D live-action film.

The story, which follows the exploits of a member of a covert ops unit of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission that specializes in fighting technology-related crime, has already been adapted into three animated films and two television anime series.

DreamWorks has released the second animated Ghost in the Shell film, Innocence, in North America.

Seaside Entertainment's Avi Arad, Ari Arad and Steven Paul will produce brought the project to the studio and will produce while Jamie Moss has been tapped to write the script.

Universal and Sony also negotiated for the rights, but what turned the deal making in DreamWorks' favour was co-founder Steven Spielberg's enthusiasm for the project.

" 'Ghost in the Shell' is one of my favorite stories. It's a genre that has arrived, and we enthusiastically welcome it to DreamWorks," Variety quoted Spielberg, as saying.

DreamWorks prexy of production Adam Goodman said: 'Ghost in the Shell is a property that epitomizes 3-D live-action motion picture possibilities.'