If you will recall an earlier report referring to comments from Epcar and several other sources, The Ocean Group was working on a Ghost in the Shell property that was believed to be the Solid State Society movie. Well, it was close. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – The Laughing Man cuts down the first GitS:SAC TV season into a 2 hour OVA and features a brand new cast from The Ocean Group.

Now before you go grabbing your pitchforks, keep in mind that The Laughing Man is a (greatly) shortened version of Season 1. So, you’re not losing your original English cast for an entirely new addition to the Ghost in the Shell saga. Instead, you gain an interesting second look at Season 1 and something on DVD that isn’t just TV episodes with a few new lines of dialogue added. The Laughing Man hits stores October 2nd in a 2-Disc set.