With Ghost in the Shell now deep into production, those initial reports of whitewashing are starting to rear their ugly head again. It’s an understandable concern, and one that we’re not totally dismissing, but Scarlett Johansson is a tremendous talent and we’re still excited to see her in the role.
Plus, let’s not judge a book by its cover. From everything we’ve heard so far, the filmmakers understand what’s at stake here and as of right now, it sounds like they’re intent on pleasing fans of the beloved series in any way that they can.
Up until now, all we’ve seen from Ghost in the Shell are set photos, but today brings us a new BTS image of Johansson, director Rupert Sanders, an unknown actor, Mamoru Oshii (who directed the 1995 version of Ghost in the Shell), Kenji Kamiyama (who helmed both seasons of Stand Alone Complex) and composer Kenji Kawai, who has also had considerable experience with the franchise. It doesn’t reveal anything about the film itself, but it’s still nice to get another look at what’s going on with the production.
Aside from Johansson, Ghost in the Shell features a star-studded cast that comprises Game of Thrones star Pilou Asbaek, Michael Pitt, Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche, Kaori Momoi and Chin Han, among others. How and ever, it’s really the decision to place Johansson in the lead role of Major Motoko Kusanagi that will only continue to cast a shadow over the film, and until we clock eyes on some tangible footage of the movie – set photos are about as good as it gets for now – it’s hard to see Paramount’s manga adaptation shaking off those whitewashing claims.
Ghost in the Shell has been pegged for release on March 31, 2017.
