The “Ghost in The Shell” movie is now in the works. Initial photos of Scarlett Johansson on the set recently leaked, which revealed her costume in the movie.
The actress will take on the role of the advance cybernetic human “The Major” Motoko Kusanagi. In April 2016, one image of Johansson as The Major was featured as a profile shot.
Based on the initial “Ghost in the Shell” set photos presented by HK01 and Twitch Film, Johansson sported a look that was quite similar to the character in the anime series. She had the signature black bob, although The Major’s hair was purple in the series. The actress was wearing a gray tank top, an army green jacket, black bottoms and boots.
Kotaku noted that the cast and crew at the time were filming on Pak Hoi Street in Hong Kong. There were also images of extras and the street market, which may give fans some clues about the setting and plot. The team is also set to shoot in Wellington, New Zealand.
ComicBookMovie wrote that PilouAsbæk will play Batou in the “Ghost in the Shell” film. The images showed the character sporting a white flattop, similar to the manga series. Batou wore a gray jacket with the distinctively large collar.
Major Kusanagi is the main protagonist in “Ghost in the Shell.” She is the unique human-cyborg hybrid special ops leader of Section 9, an elite task force. Her mission mainly consists of preventing the most lethal criminals and extremists from executing their evil plans. In the series, Section 9 has a powerful enemy with the ultimate goal of destroying all of HankaRobotic’s developments in cyber technology in 21st century Japan.
The Guardian stated that there were issues from fans regarding the casting of Johansson in “Ghost in the Shell.” Since the first image of the actress as Kusanagi emerged, some people criticized the filmmakers for whitewashing the source material.
Considering that the series has Japanese roots, many were disappointed why they failed to cast an Asian actress for the main part. A number of East Asian Hollywood actors were suggested substitute Johansson, such as Rink Kikuchi. However, it seems that the casting crew has already made a final decision on the matter. The “Ghost in the Shell” movie is being directed by Rupert Sanders.
“Ghost in the Shell” is slated to launch on Mar. 31, 2017. More updates are expected soon.