The western adaptation of the anime awesomeness that is Ghost in the Shell has officially entered production with its first still from the film. Scarlett Johansson is not exactly busting out of her Black Widow stereotype, by still proving to be a stone-cold killer in bringing this comic book series to life!
The first released image shows us Johansson’s Major Matoko Kusanagi, the protagonist of the film and a one-of-a-kind human-cyborg hybrid. Her role in the movie is to investigate the death of an arms dealer, one year after the end of WWIV.
Based on the famous Kodansha Comics manga series by Masamune Shirow, Ghost in the Shell is set in a cyber-punk version of the 21st Century and the fictional Japanese city of Niihama, known as New Port City and policed by a group called Public Security Section 9 . Originally published as a seinen manga series, Ghost in the Shell follows Security Section 9 who are an elite team of former military officers and police detectives.
The rest of her section 9 counterparts will be played by a largely Japanese cast including Chin Han, Danusia Samal, Lasarus Ratuere, Yutaka Izumihara and Tuwanda Manyimo- obviously led by Johansson’s Major. Other cast members for the film include Beat Takeshi Kitano as Daisuke Aramaki, Juliette Binoche as Dr. Ouelet, Michael Pitt as Kuze/Laughing Man, Pilou Asbæk as Batou, and Kaori Momoi. Ghost in the Shell recently came under fire for casting Johansson in the role of the Japanese Major, being accused of ‘whitewashing’ the franchise.
There have been several animated versions of the story that have made it to our screens, starting with 1995 film of the same name and ending with last year’s Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie. However, 2017 will mark the first time the series has been given the Hollywood live-action treatment.
Filming has begun in Wellington, New Zealand, with Snow White and the Huntsman’s Rupert Sanders at the helm. The Paramount/Dreamworks film set is for a March 31, 2017 release.