A few months back it was rumored that Scarlett Johansson was circling the lead role in the adaptation of "Ghost in the Shell." Today it was confirmed (via Variety) the lovely ScarJo will indeed be starring as Major Kusanagi in the Dreamworks film.
The movie adaptation will be based on Shirow Masamune's cyberpunk manga of the same name. The overall through-line of the plot follows Section 9, a branch of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission that combat cybercrime and cyberterrorism. The team's field leader is Commander Motoko Kusanagi. While almost all of the members of Section 9 have some cybernetic implants, Kusanagi has replaced the majority of her original body with implants...making her almost fully artificial.
The film and manga, which has also been adapted into anime, deals with existential questions of what it means to be human in a world that is more and more reliant on technology. It also has several over-the-top cyborg vs. robot action sequences.
Margot Robbie was reportedly in the running for the role originally, but commitments to the "Suicide Squad" flick are said to have taken her out of the running.
With "Ghost in the Shell," Johansson is increasing her credibility as an action star, which began with her role as Marvel Studio's Black Widow, and was taken somewhat further with last year's" Lucy."
"Snow White and the Huntsman" director Rupert Sanders is signed on to helm "Ghost in the Shell."
Also according to Variety, the film has still not been officially greenlit, but Dreamworks head Steven Spielberg, said to be huge fan of the original film, is hoping that Johansson's star power will get things moving in a positive direction.
