2026's Biggest Cyberpunk Series is Officially Coming to Prime Video

3 weeks ago 15

Prime Video Ghost in the Shell Background

Published Feb 12, 2026, 12:40 PM EST

Evan Mullicane is the senior editor and founder of Screen Rant's anime section. Having started as a writer for the Comics Team at the beginning of the Pandemic, Evan was swiftly promoted from writer to editor, and then from editor to lead of Screen Rant's newly established anime vertical.

Throughout his time with Screen Rant, Evan has made a handful of appearances at conventions such as Anime Expo and San Diego Comic-Con, and has interviewed some of the biggest names in Anime and Comics history.

In addition to editing anime and manga articles for Screen Rant, Evan is also a science fiction and fantasy author. In 2018 and 2019, his short story "The Demon's Mother" won honorable mentions from the Writers of the Future contest.

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Prime Video just became the official streaming home of The Ghost in the Shell, a series destined to be 2026's biggest cyberpunk TV series by a wide margin.

The move was announced by Prime Video itself and ensures that fans across the globe will have easy access to the latest entry in the foundational cyberpunk franchise. The Ghost in the Shell is expected to be released in July 2026.

The Ghost in the Shell is Destined To Be 2026's Most Explosive Cyberpunk Series

Produced by Dandadan studio Science Saru, The Ghost in the Shell is the franchise's latest reboot. With a bold new art direction that emphasizes a bright color palette, the new anime series will be a visual departure from the seminal 1995 film and move the franchise closer to Masamune Shirow's original manga.

Ghost in the Shell is, of course, nothing short of a massive series. Though Scarlet Johansson's 2017 Ghost in the Shell movie was an infamous flop, the franchise is still a foundational text for the cyberpunk genre.

Ghost in the Shell was a massive influence on several big Hollywood projects, including The Matrix. The 1995 film that most people associate with the franchise is still iconic and stands right alongside Akira and the works of Hayao Miyazaki as the standard bearer for anime as an art form.

The Ghost in the Shell Has The Potential To Be Massive

Major Motoko Kusanagi in the promotional poster for The Ghost in the Shell (2026).

Though Ghost in the Shell has never really been a dormant franchise, it has had a few bumps in the road recently. Notably, there is the 2020 CGI series Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045, which was critically lambasted and had an even worse reception than the 2017 live-action flop.

The Ghost in the Shell has a lot going for it, though. Science Saru is one of the most visually distinct anime studios working in Japan, and that's more than evident in everything fans have seen of their latest series.

Given this, The Ghost in the Shell could work as the franchise revival that fans have been waiting years for. Cyberpunk is more relevant than ever in 2026, and with The Ghost in the Shell coming to Prime Video, it's clear that the genre may just have another generation-defining mega hit on its hands.