For being one of the biggest movie stars in the world, Scarlett Johansson has been fearlessly adventurous with the projects and films she chooses to do, whenever she's not playing Natasha Romanoff in the Marvel films. That trend only continues this year as well with Paramount's new live-action adaptation of Ghost in the Shell. Based on the popular manga/anime of the same name, the film focuses on The Major (Johansson), a unique cyborg with a human brain and soul, while she acts as the leader of elite government operatives unit known as Section 9 in a futuristic version of Hong Kong. But as more and more facts about her pre-cyborg life are revealed, The Major begins to question the very nature of her transformation.
Fans of the original anime have been notably skeptical about the new film, as most are whenever a popular property like this is adapted into a big-budget Hollywood film. But Ghost in the Shell, at the very least, looks to have maintained the same visual style of its source material, with more than a few highly-stylized action sequences and visuals to spare.
Set to hit theaters later this month, the hype surrounding Ghost in the Shell has been steadily growing over the past few weeks, and Paramount doesn't seem to have any plans on slowing down their promotion for the film either. As a result, a brand new featurette for Ghost in the Shell has been released online today, focusing entirely on the central mystery surrounding The Major in the film, with Johansson and some of the creative team adding to the debate. Take a look at the video for yourself in the space above.
Ghost in the Shell won't be the first time that Johansson has played around in the sci-fi genre by any means, and after her work in films like Under the Skin, Lucy, and Her, the actress is fairly adept at leading films that deal with intricate themes and visual styles like this. So while there's still an understandable amount of controversy surrounding her casting as The Major (an originally Asian role), she's proven herself to have both the star power and acting skills to bring a certain amount of attention for the film from moviegoers, including those may not already have a pre-existing relationship with the property.
Ghost in the Shell is also the first film from director Rupert Sanders, following his disappointing work on 2012's Snow White and the Huntsman. Similar to Ghost in the Shell, that twist on the classic Snow White story boasted more than its fair share of stunning, mind-bending visuals, so hopefully, expect the story and substance in this adaptation to be a bit more satisfying than it was with Huntsman. In a month packed to the brim with a number of high-profile releases, though, Ghost in the Shell is shaping up to be one of the more unpredictable of the batch, possessing the possibility to either be a breakout hit, or a disappointing miss. Only time will tell.
Source: Paramount
