Earlier this week we received the first trailer for a popular European comic to film adaptation. Today, we get the first trailer for a film based on the popular Japanese franchise, Ghost in the Shell.
The series originally started as a manga series written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. It was first published in 1989. Since then, it has been published into volumes and has even gotten a handful of anime films based on the material already. The first of which was released in 1995 and the most recent film was released only last year.
This newest adaptation is an American film that has been in the planning stages since 2008. The film stars Scarlett Johansson as The Major, a cyborg counter-cyberterrorist, who’s tasked with bringing down a computer hacker. From the trailer, it also appears that the robotic company who claims that they “saved” her may have instead stolen her life from her.
The trailer has a cyberpunk feel to it with the technology and future setting. It looks fantastic on a small screen so it’ll probably be breathtaking in theaters upon release. There has been a controversy with the film over the subject of whitewashing. The main criticism has been the casting of an American actress in a Japanese role. Supposedly, the filmmakers were even trying to make Johansson look more ethnic through the usage of CGI at one point. While it seems that that isn’t the case, it’s still understandable why some people would be upset. However, Scarlett Johansson is a great actress and she is sure to do the role justice regardless of her ethnicity. Alongside Michael Wincott, Michael Pitt, and Juliette Binoche, there are also plenty of Asian actors with roles in the film as well.
With all of the great science fiction films that have come out recently, such as Ex Machina, this film will definitely be one to keep an eye on. Ghost in the Shell opens in theaters on March 31st, 2017. Check out the first trailer for the film and comment below.
