Ghost in the Shell (2017 film)

Ghost in the Shell
Directed by Rupert Sanders
Produced by
Written by
Based on Ghost in the Shell 
by Masamune Shirow
Starring
Cinematography Jess Hall
Edited by Neil Smith
Production
company
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release dates
  • March 31, 2017 (2017-03-31) (US)
Country United States
Language English

Ghost in the Shell is an upcoming American film based on the Japanese manga of the same name. The film stars Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbæk, Michael Pitt, Takeshi Kitano and Juliette Binoche. The film will be released on March 31, 2017 in 3D.

Premise

Cyborg The Major (Johansson) and her task force Section 9 thwart cyber criminals and hackers. Now, they must face a new enemy who will stop at nothing to sabotage Hanka Robotic's Artificial Intelligence technology.[1]

Cast

Production

In 2008, DreamWorks (which had distributed theatrically in North America through its Go Fish Pictures banner the film Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence) and Steven Spielberg acquired the rights to produce a live-action film adaptation of the original manga. Avi Arad, and Steven Paul were later confirmed as producers, with Jamie Moss (Street Kings) to write the screenplay.[4] In October 2009, it was announced that Laeta Kalogridis (Alexander, Shutter Island) had replaced Moss as writer.[5] On January 24, 2014, it was reported that Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) will direct the film, with a screenplay by William Wheeler (The Hoax, The Reluctant Fundamentalist).[6] On September 3, 2014, Margot Robbie was in early talks for the lead role.[7] On October 16, it was announced that DreamWorks had made a $10 million offer to Scarlett Johansson for the lead role, after Robbie's talks for the role fell apart when she was cast as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad.[8] In May 2015, Paramount Pictures agreed to co-produce and co-finance the film.[9] On November 10, 2015, Pilou Asbæk was cast in the film for the role of Batou, the best fighter and second in command in the army.[10] On November 19, 2015, it was reported that Sam Riley was in early talks to join the film for the villain role as The Laughing Man, the leader of most dangerous criminals and extremists.[11] But, on February 4, 2016, Variety reported that Michael Pitt was in talks for the role.[12] On March 3, 2016, The Wrap reported that Japanese actor Takeshi Kitano had been cast as Daisuke Aramaki, the founder and leader of the elite unit Section 9 tasked with protecting the world from the most dangerous technological threats.[13]

Principal photography on the film began on location in Wellington, New Zealand, on February 1, 2016.[14] In April 2016, the full cast was announced, which included Juliette Binoche, Chin Han and Kaori Momoi.[15]

Casting controversy

The casting of Johansson in the lead role caused accusations of whitewashing, especially from fans of the original Japanese franchise.[16][17][18] As it is still unclear if Johansson's character will retain her Japanese name, fans have argued that changing both the Japanese setting and main character's name to make the film a complete cultural adaptation would be a wiser decision.[19] It has been alleged that the filmmakers at one point commissioned the usage of CGI and other visual effects testing to alter Johansson's appearance in order to make her ethnicity appear Asian, spurring further backlash,[20] including ironic video response from popular YouTube filmaker Freddie Wong.[21] Paramount has stated the tests were short-lived and did not involve Johansson.[22] Some fans as well as people working in the industry have claimed the controversy is a symptom of a bigger issue, and that modern Hollywood fears casting non-white actors would bring films less of a profit than white actors would bring.[22][23] Marc Bernardin of the Los Angeles Times commented that "the only race Hollywood cares about is the box office race."[24]

In Japan, fans of the manga were surprised that the casting caused controversy with many already assuming that the Hollywood production would choose a white actress in the lead role.[25] Sam Yoshiba, director of the international business division at Kodansha's Tokyo headquarters, the company which holds the rights to the series and its characters, said, "Looking at her career so far, I think Scarlett Johansson is well cast. She has the cyberpunk feel. And we never imagined it would be a Japanese actress in the first place... This is a chance for a Japanese property to be seen around the world."[25]

Release

Ghost in the Shell was originally scheduled by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures for an April 14, 2017 release through their Touchstone Pictures banner.[26][27] The film was part of DreamWorks' distribution deal with Walt Disney Studios, which began in 2009.[28] In April 2015, Disney moved the film's release date in North America to March 31, 2017, with Paramount Pictures handling international distribution.[29][9] However, it was reported in September 2015, that DreamWorks and Disney would not renew their distribution deal that was set to expire in August 2016.[30] In January 2016, Disney dropped the film from its release slate after DreamWorks' distribution deal with Universal Pictures was finalized in December 2015.[31][32] Disney's distribution rights for the film were transferred completely to Paramount, with the latter studio retaining Disney's release date of March 31, 2017.[31]

References

  1. ↑ Perez, Rodrigo (April 14, 2016). "First Look: Scarlett Johansson In Anime Adaptation ‘Ghost In The Shell’". Indie Wire.
  2. ↑ "PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND DREAMWORKS PICTURES’ “GHOST IN THE SHELL” IS IN PRODUCTION IN NEW ZEALAND". April 15, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Ghost in the Shell Photo Released as Production Begins". April 14, 2016.
  4. ↑ Siegel, Tatiana; Fleming, Michael (April 14, 2008). "DreamWorks to make 'Ghost' in 3-D". Variety. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  5. ↑ Siegel, Tatiana (October 22, 2009). "Kalogridis to adapt 'Ghost in the Shell'". Variety. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  6. ↑ Bishop, Bryan (January 25, 2014). "Live-action 'Ghost in the Shell' movie signs the director of 'Snow White and the Huntsman'". The Verge. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  7. ↑ Fleming Jr, Mike (September 3, 2014). "‘Wolf Of Wall Street’s Margot Robbie Eyes ‘Ghost In The Shell’". Deadline.com. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  8. ↑ Gallagher, Brian (October 16, 2014). "'Ghost in the Shell' Movie Wants Scarlett Johansson for the Lead". MovieWeb. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  9. 1 2 McNary, Dave (May 8, 2015). "Paramount Co-Financing Scarlett Johansson’s ‘Ghost in the Shell’". Variety. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  10. ↑ Kroll, Justin (November 10, 2015). "Pilou Asbæk to Co-Star With Scarlett Johansson in ‘Ghost in the Shell’ (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  11. ↑ Jaafar, Ali (November 19, 2015). "Sam Riley In Talks For ‘Ghost In The Shell’ Opposite Scarlett Johansson". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  12. ↑ Kroll, Justin (February 4, 2016). "Michael Pitt to Play Villain in Scarlett Johansson’s ‘Ghost in the Shell’". Variety. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  13. ↑ Snider, Jeff (March 2, 2016). "Scarlett Johansson’s ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Casts Its First Japanese Actor". TheWrap. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  14. ↑ Friedlander, Monique (February 2, 2016). "Fitness fan! Scarlett Johansson cuts a low-key figure on training session in New Zealand as she takes a break from filming Ghost In The Shell". Daily Mail. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Ghost in the Shell Photo Released as Production Begins". April 14, 2016.
  16. ↑ Brown, Tracey (January 10, 2015). "‘Ghost in the Shell’: Scarlett Johansson casting called ‘whitewashing’". Hero Complex. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  17. ↑ Child, Ben (January 16, 2015). "DreamWorks accused of 'whitewashing' Ghost in the Shell by casting Scarlett Johansson". The Guardian. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  18. ↑ http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-36083113
  19. ↑ Fuster, Jeremy (April 14, 2016). "‘Ghost In The Shell’ Fans Not Happy About ‘Whitewashed’ American Remake". TheWrap. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  20. ↑ Sampson, Mike (April 14, 2016). "Exclusive: ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Producers Reportedly Tested Visual Effects That Would Make White Actors Appear Asian". ScreenCrush. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  21. ↑ Wong, Fredie (April 15, 2016). "RocketJump: Live Action Ghost in the Shell - VFX Behind the Scenes!!!". RocketJump. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  22. 1 2 Child, Ben (April 18, 2016). "Max Landis: there are ‘no A-list female Asian celebrities’ who could have taken Scarlett Johansson’s Ghost in a Shell role". The Guardian. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  23. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/23/opinion/why-wont-hollywood-cast-asian-actors.html
  24. ↑ Bernardin, Marc (April 18, 2016). "Hollywood's glaring problem: White actors playing Asian characters". L.A. Times. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  25. 1 2 Blair, Gavin J. (April 19, 2016). "Scarlett Johansson in 'Ghost in the Shell': Japanese Industry, Fans Surprised by "Whitewashing" Outrage". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  26. ↑ McNary, Dave (January 13, 2015). "Disney Sets Several 2016 Release Dates". Variety. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  27. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (January 13, 2015). "Disney Dates 'Ghost In The Shell', Moves Jungle Book Back 6 Months". Deadline.com. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  28. ↑ Masters, Kim (September 2, 2015). "Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks to Split From Disney, in Talks With Universal (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  29. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 29, 2015). "Disney Moves ‘Ghost In The Shell’ Up Two Weeks". Deadline.com. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  30. ↑ McNary, Dave (September 2, 2015). "Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks to Leave Disney, Possibly for Universal". Variety. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  31. 1 2 Stedman, Alex (January 25, 2016). "'Ghost in the Shell' Moves to Paramount From Disney". Variety. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  32. ↑ Lang, Brent (December 16, 2015). "Steven Spielberg, Jeff Skoll Bring Amblin Partners to Universal". Variety. Retrieved December 23, 2015.

External links

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