Paramount debuted the first peek into the controversial live-action adaptation of “Ghost in the Shell,” releasing five 10-second trailers Wednesday.
Directed by Rupert Sander and written by Jonathan Herman and Jamie Moss, the film is an adaptation of the ‘90s manga by Masamune Shirow, as well as the anime series, of the same name. It follows counter-cyberterrorist group Security Section 9, led by cyborg Major Motoko Kusanagi played by Scarlett Johansson.
The decision to cast Johansson as the Major caused controversy when it was announced last year, with criticism of Hollywood whitewashing. The Major is Japanese in the source material.
While the trailers don’t give away anything in terms of plot, the dark and ominous set pieces do show cyberpunk aesthetics reminiscent of the anime.
Johansson is joined by Takeshi Kitano as Section 9 Chief Daisuke Aramaki, Michael Pitt as Kuze, Pilou Asbæk as Batou and Juliette Binoche as Dr. Ouelet. Kaori Momoi, Chin Han, Danusia Samal, Yutaka Izumihara and Tuwanda Manyimo are also starring in the film, set to release March 2017.
