It hasn’t been an easy road for Rupert Sanders’ Ghost in the Shell adaptation. The film has been mired in controversy almost ever since it was first announced that Scarlett Johansson would be playing the lead role of The Major. Of course, you’re never going to please everyone when you adapt such a beloved property like this, but we must say that Paramount has gone a long way to win people over, offering up a stunning first trailer and presenting to us what looks like a slick, stylish action romp that might just be one of the more enjoyable films this year.
Now, with the movie’s release less than 2 months away, the marketing is starting to heat up. Or at least, it sounded like it was. Earlier this week, reports emerged that the studio was putting together a new trailer for us. It was supposed to drop this Thursday before being attached to xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, which hits theaters on Friday. However, it seems like someone was given wrong information, as we’re now hearing that whatever’s coming Thursday is not new.
Reaching out to Paramount for more information on the upcoming preview, we were told that “it’s the same trailer that’s already been in theaters. It’s definitely not new.” We imagine that fresh footage will be hitting the web shortly, but it seems that this Thursday won’t be the day. And while that is a shame, we’ve definitely been pleased with what the studio’s shown us so far.
Mixing existential sci-fi themes (read: artificial intelligence and its core purpose) with stylish, cyberpunk action, it’s easy to understand the excitement swirling around Paramount’s Ghost in the Shell film, but will longtime fans of Masamune Shirow’s legendary Japanese manga take to such a different approach? Time will tell, but as of now, we’ll remain optimistic and look forward to seeing that next trailer – whenever the studio decides to drop it.
Ghost in the Shell deploys across US and UK theaters on March 31, 2017 and co-stars Michael Pitt, Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche, Pilou Asbæk and Arrow starlet Rila Fukushima.
