It's official, the Ghost in the Shell live-action adaptation has officially begun shooting. Today, Paramount and DreamWorks Pictures released a first look photo of Scarlett Johansson in character. She plays Kusanagi, a special ops cyborg who leads a counter-cyberterrorist organization called Public Security Section 9 for Hanka Robotics.
Rupert Sanders is directing Ghost in the Shell. The story follows Kusanagi along with her unit as they set out to stop some of the most dangerous criminals in the world, led by the extremist The Laughing Man. Sam Riley plays the primary villain. He will stop at nothing to destroy the Hanka organization and the man's advancements in cyber technology.
Ghost in the Shell teams Scarlett Johansson back up with her Lucy co-star Pilou Asbaek, who is playing Batou. Ghost in the Shell is based on the iconic Kodansha Comics manga. Jonathan Herman is writing the script. Avi Arad and Steven Paul are the producers. Executive producing the project are Michael Costigan, Jeffrey Silver, Tetsu Fujimura and Mitsuhisa Ishikawa
Ghost in the Shell is currently shooting in New Zealand. Paramount Pictures will release the movie in the states during spring break of next year, giving the sci-fi action thriller a March 31, 2017 release date. Ishikawa's animation studio Production I.G was responsible for the original Japanese animated film and television series based on the property.
The New Zealand Film Commission, Tourism New Zealand, Callaghan Innovation and the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) have joined Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks in a unique marketing agreement. Together, they will help promote New Zealand as a premiere shooting location. Something Peter Jackson helped establish with his Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. Also starring in the cast alongside the three leads are Japanese icon Takeshi Kitano, Michael Pitt, Juliette Binoche and Kaori Momoi. Take a first look at Scarlett Johansson in Ghost in the Shell.
PHG91tarQRFbJM|Ghost in the Shell Scarlett Johansson Photo