A "Ghost in the Shell" live-action adaptation was in the works for some years but eventually got stuck in development hell until DreamWorks picked it up, casting actress Scarlett Johansson in an unspecified role. A new report from the Collider gives some insight on the film's production and a follow-up on its release date.
According to Johansson, as cited by Collider, "Snow White and the Huntsman" director Rupert Sanders is attached to direct, and filming for the movie will begin early 2016. The actress reportedly said that production may begin as early as January or February. Unfortunately, that is the sum total of all she could specify.
"Ghost in the Shell" is scheduled to hit theaters in summer of 2017 but there has been no official word on a finished screenplay or other cast members. There is also no confirmation if Johansson is portraying the Japanese lead character Motoko Kusanagi, a Westernized version of the character, or a different character altogether.
Johannson most recently starred as Black Widow in "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." She also led the action flick "Lucy." If "Ghost in the Shell" indeed moves forward, then it will be joining the ranks of female-led action movies such as "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," "Resident Evil," "Underworld," and "The Hunger Games," and the upcoming comic book-based movies "Captain Marvel" and "Wonder Woman."
"Ghost in the Shell" is based on the manga/anime series that was popularized in Japan during the mid-1990s. The series focuses on a futuristic Japan where technology has advanced to the point where people can directly link their consciousness or "ghost" to the Web.
The main character of the series, Motoko Kusanagi, is a member of the government agency Section 9 and is responsible for hunting down cyber-hackers, particularly those that attempt to manipulate the "ghosts" of other people by hacking into their cyber-brains.
The series was previously adapted into animated films as well as several animated series but no live-action adaptation has been done before.
