Scarlett Johansson to Star in Ghost in the Shell Live-Action Film

[Mister K]

Yeah... Sh... F... Wha... Oh damn it to hell! You guys all know that even if they picked the perfect actors and a perfect director they'd still turn this francise which consists of 80% investigation/soul-searching/talking and 20% action into full action movie which will be 2 hour long tops.

Because we can't simply make a mini-series, right? We have to lure in masses with cheap shots of gunz blazing and tits jiggling, get quick cashola and forget that it ever happened.

I have no hopes for this movie. I will wait for a premiere (won't watch it myself), inevitably bad/average reviews and then I will quickly forget about it.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Yea whatever... Production IG already slaughtered GitS may as well rape the corpse for what it?s worth. Go ahead Hollywood see if I care.

Can't get worse than GiTS: Innocence. There's artsy, and then there's pretentious. That was slightly funny, though, for a film about discovering what makes people truly human, there was a shocking lack of any of it on display. Just cold, calculated, rendered computer imagery to distract your brain from thinking about it too hard.

Oshii is one of those artsy types you really don't wanna leave to their own devices.

As a director, he's got a really unique visual style, but as a storyteller, he's kinda clunky. And he throws in almost as much pointless symbolism as Evangelion. See that meaningless scene during the tank fight where the bullet spray stops just below the word hominid on the wall mural.

As for Johansson being the Major, I think it could work. GITS is a franchise that could really easily be adapted to film thanks to its setting. The world in the aftermath of World War 4 is really going to be nothing like what we have nowadays, and the themes of what it means to be human and the nature of cyber crime are universal enough that the story of GITS could be transplanted without much difficulty. Hell, the original Oshii film was implied to be set in Hong Kong, not Tokyo.

 

[fix-the-spade]

Honestly, in thinking about it the only person I can see playing Batou would be a younger Dolph Lundgren..

Find a pic of Dave Bautista, draw some white spec lenses and a blonder hairdo on him, Batou!

 

[P-89 Scorpion]

nooooooooooooooooo! both for Scarlett "blonde Fran Dresher" Johansson and Hollywood GitS (without the future, or cyborgs, or boobs, or any quistions about the human nature or society, because they will just use some random script and call it GitS and change some names. Probably a discarded Paranormal Activity scrit, because they have read the word Ghost in the title).

Johansson has no problem with full frontal nudity in film so if it's R rated we could get the boobs and maybe even a budget.

Still I doubt this will ever get made just like all the other anime adaptions that thankfully never come out.

Edit

I've changed my mind GET THE TEAM BEHIND "EDGE OF TOMMORROW" ON THIS NOW!!!

 

[MrCalavera_v1legacy]

I uh...huh.
Sorry, not 'feeling' it.

And once again, first comment encapsulates my feelings pretty well.
I like both Scarlett and GitS, but i just can't see it.

snip

Honestly, in thinking about it the only person I can see playing Batou would be a younger Dolph Lundgren..

Wasn't Batou's appearance based of Dolph Lundgren?(Or was it Rutger Hauer?)

 

[Makabriel]

Honestly, in thinking about it the only person I can see playing Batou would be a younger Dolph Lundgren..

Find a pic of Dave Bautista, draw some white spec lenses and a blonder hairdo on him, Batou!

Mmmmmm see I knew someone would try Bautista, but I just can't see it..

 

[The Almighty Aardvark]

Mokoto Kusanagi... played by Scarlett Johansson. Huh. Wonder how they're going to play off the fact that she's not remotely japanese.

Although if we had a movie centered around a japanese actress we'd all probably just explode from too much change.

 

[StriderShinryu]

Well, it's a good start. There's still a long way to go before we even get the movie, never mind a good movie (and I really do hope we get a good version).

 

[Pinky's Brain]

If they don't set it in Japan (which seems unlikely) why would you make the major Japanese?

 

[Spirolli]

Don't worry everyone. This movie has little chance of being made.

 

[KazeAizen]

Good, because Lucy was so utterly amazing I really think Scarlet has the acting chops to headline another action movie!
Then again, Motoko Kusanagi is basically ass and tits in a jumpsuit flopping about and sleeping with teenage boys. So I guess just have Michael Bay direct it.

Seriously if you really think that about Matoko then you have some real personal issues to get over.

 

[A-D.]

Good, because Lucy was so utterly amazing I really think Scarlet has the acting chops to headline another action movie!
Then again, Motoko Kusanagi is basically ass and tits in a jumpsuit flopping about and sleeping with teenage boys. So I guess just have Michael Bay direct it.

Seriously if you really think that about Matoko then you have some real personal issues to get over.

He kinda has a point, although its oversimplified because its very obvious that she uses her looks to her advantage, i.e. she is a honeytrap. That being said, there are many variations they could draw from, the original manga, the 1995 movie, SAC Series or Arise, they are all markedly different in their own way, although there is less differences between manga and the 1995 movie all things considered.

That being said, i dont think she ever actually had any explicit sexual relations with anyone and what was implied was that she was into girls (Shirow didnt want to draw man-butt), so her sexual tastes, if any, are vague at best because even then she was never shown to actually be sexually active, although the implication is there.

In any case, i hope Shirow puts his foot down and says no to the idea because honestly, i cant really see them adapting it properly. Although i'd have less issue if its yet another spin-off or its own original story set in the same world, i.e. not about Section 9 specifically.

 

[KazeAizen]

Good, because Lucy was so utterly amazing I really think Scarlet has the acting chops to headline another action movie!
Then again, Motoko Kusanagi is basically ass and tits in a jumpsuit flopping about and sleeping with teenage boys. So I guess just have Michael Bay direct it.

Seriously if you really think that about Matoko then you have some real personal issues to get over.

He kinda has a point, although its oversimplified because its very obvious that she uses her looks to her advantage, i.e. she is a honeytrap. That being said, there are many variations they could draw from, the original manga, the 1995 movie, SAC Series or Arise, they are all markedly different in their own way, although there is less differences between manga and the 1995 movie all things considered.

That being said, i dont think she ever actually had any explicit sexual relations with anyone and what was implied was that she was into girls (Shirow didnt want to draw man-butt), so her sexual tastes, if any, are vague at best because even then she was never shown to actually be sexually active, although the implication is there.

In any case, i hope Shirow puts his foot down and says no to the idea because honestly, i cant really see them adapting it properly. Although i'd have less issue if its yet another spin-off or its own original story set in the same world, i.e. not about Section 9 specifically.

Still what's the problem with that honeytrap idea again? I've seen it done millions of times on Law and Order and other cop shows. So she uses her looks to her advantage? Another tool in the tool belt and she still is one of the top anime badasses. I've only seen Stand Alone Complex myself.

Despite the director I hope this one actually gets made. Since it stars Scarlett Johanson it should probably be set in America or failing that use some kind of hand wave of why she is still called Matoko despite being white. Like she prefers Caucasian bodies or something weird like that. The fact that it is Steven Spielberg's company doing it gives me hope. Maybe he'll help write the script or something. He is a Ghost in the Shell fan after all. Heck it'd be nice if Dreamworks took the helm on one of the two remaining big sources of movie revenue that have yet to be tapped. Anime and Video Game adaptations.

 

[The_Waspman]

Well, from the sound of things, it'll be a looooong time before this happens, if at all. I am powerless to alter any decisions that are made in relation to the production of this project, though everything I read in this article convince me that this will be on the same level of quality and relevance to the source material as the Super Mario Bros movie.

And this is coming from someone who didn't actually think Huntsman was that bad. I mean, it ripped off Princess Mononoke enough to be classed as a sort of anime adaptation.

Though I think Johanssen is a terrible fit for the role. And not just because she isn't Asian. A lot of people seem to be using Lucy as a prime example of her 'action ability', when Lucy was - aside from a slew of Horror films - by far the worst film I saw last year. Like, I saw it the same day as Into the Storm, and that was good in comparison.

But as I say, from the sound of things, this project is about as likely to be completed as that Michael Turners Fathom adaptation starring Megan Fox as Aspen Matthews. *shudder*

 

[kael013]

Suit 1: "OK, we have a film about a Japanese robot woman leading a group of Japanese government agents against cyberpunk crime in Japan. Who should we cast? That chick from Pacific Rim, uh... Rinko Kikuchi?"
Suit 2: "How about Scarlett Johansson?"
Suits 3-6: "Perfect!"

Seriously, what's wrong with Hollywood? Johansson is a damn fine actress (in both meanings of the phrase), but I think she's the wrong actress for this film. There are times when white-washing can be overlooked (due to the actor's abilities) and there are times when it's inexcusable (due to the film's premise, for example). To me, this is the latter. And the fact that Johansson's involvement could be the catalyst for this being greenlit? That's just sad. What, Hollywood doesn't make films based on the script's/premise's merits anymore, instead going with whatever the hottest actors/actresses are willing to do?

Still, Johansson isn't the worst thing wrong with this film. Director of [i/]Snow White and the Huntsman[/i], an unknown writer (which means we have no clue how faithful the script will be)... Yeah, this isn't going to go well.

 

[A-D.]

Good, because Lucy was so utterly amazing I really think Scarlet has the acting chops to headline another action movie!
Then again, Motoko Kusanagi is basically ass and tits in a jumpsuit flopping about and sleeping with teenage boys. So I guess just have Michael Bay direct it.

Seriously if you really think that about Matoko then you have some real personal issues to get over.

He kinda has a point, although its oversimplified because its very obvious that she uses her looks to her advantage, i.e. she is a honeytrap. That being said, there are many variations they could draw from, the original manga, the 1995 movie, SAC Series or Arise, they are all markedly different in their own way, although there is less differences between manga and the 1995 movie all things considered.

That being said, i dont think she ever actually had any explicit sexual relations with anyone and what was implied was that she was into girls (Shirow didnt want to draw man-butt), so her sexual tastes, if any, are vague at best because even then she was never shown to actually be sexually active, although the implication is there.

In any case, i hope Shirow puts his foot down and says no to the idea because honestly, i cant really see them adapting it properly. Although i'd have less issue if its yet another spin-off or its own original story set in the same world, i.e. not about Section 9 specifically.

Still what's the problem with that honeytrap idea again? I've seen it done millions of times on Law and Order and other cop shows. So she uses her looks to her advantage? Another tool in the tool belt and she still is one of the top anime badasses. I've only seen Stand Alone Complex myself.

Despite the director I hope this one actually gets made. Since it stars Scarlett Johanson it should probably be set in America or failing that use some kind of hand wave of why she is still called Matoko despite being white. Like she prefers Caucasian bodies or something weird like that. The fact that it is Steven Spielberg's company doing it gives me hope. Maybe he'll help write the script or something. He is a Ghost in the Shell fan after all. Heck it'd be nice if Dreamworks took the helm on one of the two remaining big sources of movie revenue that have yet to be tapped. Anime and Video Game adaptations.

I never said anything about her using her looks was a bad thing, i simply stated that him saying she was just ass and tits in a suit was oversimplifying that aspect of her personality. Truth is, she may not even be a she, she is fully prostethic, meaning there isnt any human part left, so for all we know, she may as well be a he in a female cyborg shell. Each spin-off changes her backstory, either in small or significant ways so again, given how its worked before, its not unlikely that this GitS adaption will be yet another unrelated spin-off, as the movie has nothing to do with SAC and SAC has nothing to do with the manga or Arise, besides sharing some details.

 

[ryukage_sama]

While I'm not convinced that Johansson's casting will be either positive or negative in and of itself, I do think that her attachment will give this project the necessary thrust to get the film off the ground.

Regardless of how this live-action project turns out, we'll still have the masterpieces that preceded it to enjoy. Maybe the film will attract the attention of a new audience the way the Watchmen film did for the original comic. Hopefully they'll find Oshii's film and not some of the later works of Masamune Shirow.

 

[Vault101]

as far as "whitewashing goes"..

as far as I'm concerned it would be worse if they did a sort of "half way" with the source material and had her white while in Japan or whatever, that would be really blatant

if it is fully Americanised...its bad but at least its consistent

and if it was set in America why couldn't she be black? or Hispanic? or asain? no one considered that

EDIT: and obligatory [I/]"race doesn't matter! she's a robot![/I] <-yeah and Pink is just a color with no cultural implications whatsoever

 

[Shjade]

While Johnssan does got the combat ability to be the Major but she doesn't got her looks

If anything I still vouch for Rinko Kikuchi (Pacific Rim) to be Motoko Kusanagi!

Regardless given Western adaption over eastern stuff then to fail anyway.

If it has to be made at all, definitely this.

Frankly, even aside from the whitewashing issue, Johansson's just boring as an "action star." No thanks.

 

[Piorn]

I'm not really worried about the people involved, but more that some of the topics and themes are regarded as too complex for the "popular" market.
When you see what they did to e.g. I am Legend, I don't want to imagine what they'll do to this.