Manga Entertainment has revealed that it will release Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society, in regular ($24.98) and limited ($44.98) editions on July 3rd.  Manga has denied early reports that the film will be released in the hi-def BluRay format in July, though with its high production values (its budget was 360 million yen), it will be a prime candidate for a high-def release at some point.  Produced by Production I.G. and directed by Kenji Kamiyama, the 105-minute anime feature will be the last release in the popular Stand Alone Complex series, which also includes two 26-episode TV seasons and three OAVs (see 'Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society').  The film will receive its U.S. premiere at the New York Comic Con (see 'New York Comic Con Announces Anime Screenings').

Solid State Society is set two years after the events in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig.  Section 9 has been expanded to nearly twenty members and Major Motoko Kusanagi has left -- though when Section 9 investigates the activities of the mysterious Puppeteer, Batou discovers that Kusanagi is conducting her own investigation.

Given the popularity of the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex franchise and the way that anime features dominated the VideoScan sales charts in 2006, Solid State Society has a good chance of ending up as one of 2007's top anime releases.