First look at Scarlett Johansson in Live Action Ghost in The Shell

Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures have formally announced filming has begun on the live-action Ghost In The Shell movie with a still featuring Scarlett Johansson in the lead role of Major, a human/cyborg hybrid.

Johannson leads a cast comprised of Beat Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche, Michael Pitt, and others. The film is directed by Snow White & the Huntsman's Rupert Sanders.

Here is a look at her as Major:

We are so pleased to be in Wellington to shoot Ghost In The Shell,” said producers Avi Arad, Ari Arad, Michael Costigan and Jeffrey Silver. “The city boasts state-of-the-art production facilities and a rich urban landscape that make it an ideal setting for a sci-fi action film. The crew-base in New Zealand working on the film is first class, and working with Sir Richard Taylor and the team at Weta Workshop is inspirational on every level. The people of New Zealand have been terrific partners in helping us bring this story and its beloved characters to audiences around the world and we are thankful for their continued hospitality.”

Ghost In The Shell is scheduled for nationwide release on March 31, 2017

Retro Game Look Back: Ghost in the Shell (PS1)

The plot follows the members of Public Security Section 9, mainly consisting of Major Motoko Kusanagi, Chief Aramaki, Batou, Togusa, Ishikawa, Saito, and a nameless male, the Rookie, controlled by the player. The game's story is told using mission briefings and animated cutscenes.

Ghost In The Shell: Arise (Ghost Pain) Review

Set in the year 2027, a year following the end of the non-nuclear World War IV, a bomb has gone off in Newport City, killing a major arms dealer who may have ties with the mysterious 501 Organization. Public Security official Daisuke Aramaki hires full-body cyber prosthesis user and hacker extraordinaire Motoko Kusanagi to investigate, but on the case with her are "Sleepless Eye" Batou who believes Kusanagi is a criminal, Niihama Prefecture Detective Togusa who is investigating a series of prostitute murders he believes are related to the incident, and Lieutenant Colonel Kurtz of the 501 Organization who also wishes to keep an eye on Kusanagi.

Ghost in the Shell Arise Design Cast and Trailer

Ghost in the Shell Arise’s new trailer joins news that not only will the OVA be getting entirely new character designs, but also an entirely new voice cast, in what is proving an exceptionally controversial new direction for the series.

The preview:


As or more controversial than the new character designs is the fact that Motoko will now be voiced by Maaya Sakamoto, who perhaps not coincidentally also voiced child Makoto in SAC and Deunan in Appleseed XIII, rather than Atsuko Tanaka, who voiced her all the other Ghost in the Shell anime.
Along with Motoko, Aramaki (now voiced by Ikyu Juku), Togusa (Tarusuke Shingaki), Batou (Kenichiro Matsuda) and every other member of the cast also sees a new voice actor, for what is clearly intended to be a clean break with the previous incarnations of the franchise.
A new 2027 setting and storyline (yet again involving viruses) round out what has been described as a Motoko “origins” style story with her still with army intelligence prior to her Section 9 career.
Aside from the new character designs and seiyuu changes, plenty of other information about the new project has just emerged – it will be comprised of 4 50 minute parts, with the first – “Ghost Pain” – to see limited theatrical release and then an OVA BD/DVD release in June and July.
A manga edition of the new production is also due to begin serialisation in March, in the pages of Monthly Young Magazine.

Masamune Shirow himself has acknowledged the new iteration of the series takes things in a new direction:

2029AD. Togusa would be 29, so in the world of Ghost in the Shell, today in 2013 he would be in middle school. What would he be doing now, and would he already have resolved to become a detective?
[In the 24 years since the original manga's debut] the world has changed a lot – especially computers and networks, with many people now carrying and using high powered mobile terminals at all times.
The original manga is now quite old, and I think it must be quite challenging to adapt, but I’m really looking forward to seeing viewers enjoy whatever new Ghost in the Shell Kise and the new staff produce.
And please, afterwards don’t start saying “this was all a fake memory and none of the anime adaptations were real,” OK?
Shirow Masamune

His concern over what fans will make of all this is perhaps understandable – the fan response so far has been distinctly negative.

Source: Sankaku Complex   Author: Artefact



The preview:

Ghost in the Shell ARISE Announced: “A New Motoko!”

 

A new anime in the Ghost in the Shell series has just been announced, Ghost in the Shell Arise,  although there look to be some very dramatic changes to the franchise in store – including a new design for Motoko.
The details of the project so far are limited, indicating only that it is to be a new anime which starts production in 2013 and that Production IG’s Kazuchika Kise is overseeing the project, having had heavy involvement in various previous iterations of the franchise, along with being the creator of Mardock Scramble.
The production even boasts what looks to be a new look (or yet another body at least) for Motoko:

The new look prompted instant speculation as to where it is the new production fits into the existing canon – with there already being separately released settings for the manga, movies and Stand Alone Complex, anything from a sequel, prequel, reboot or otherwise could apply to any of them – or, as seems to be implied by some announcements, it may be an entirely new realisation of the franchise.
While a change to Motoko is daring, few seem to think they would risk changing her seiyuu – although this seems far from guaranteed.
Further details are scheduled for release with a full announcement later in Februrary.

From: Sankuka Complex