Scarlett Johansson to Star in Dreamworks' Ghost in the Shell

Scarlett Johansson has been on quite the role the past few years. She played Black Widow in both the Avengers and Captain America: Winter Soldier and is now onto star in an adaptation of one of Japanese Anime's most popular franchises: Ghost in the Shell.

In an exclusive with Variety, Johansson has officially signed on to star in Dreamworks' adaptation of Ghost in the Shell. Rupert Sanders will be directing the film, Avi Arad and Steven Paul are producing and Bill Wheeler is scripting the film.

Johansson will most likely be playing the film version of Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg and squad leader of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission that specializes in fighting technology-related crime. The film deals with the cyborg-character's struggle to understand her nature and whether or not she has a "ghost," all while solving crimes.

Steven Spielberg, the principal of Dreamworks, has waited a long time to get this project off the ground and is a fan of the original. The hope is that with Johansson is now attached to the film, it will have a better chance of being greenlit.

What do you guys think of this news? Can she play the part of Motoko Kusanagi?

Was it really that necessary to make a movie based on this? Is Hollywood running out of original ideas? Don't care much for Scarlet either.

WHY ARE YOU REMAKING THIS

DONT F*CKING DO THIS TO ME

Awesome. Love GitS and hope the adaptation is good...

Ain't nothing like the real thing babe!!

Even Scarlett!!!

An American live-action remake of an anime with a white person as the star? Those always turn out great!!

@lagozzino: Lmao.

NO! NO!! NO!!! I can't see her as the colonel. IMO she's now an overexposed actress.

Personally I don't have an issue as long as they would change the locations and change the names to fit that location.

Personally I would prefer a Lupin III movie than a GITS.

How funny, I just finished watching the Scarlett Johanson skecth on Robot Chicken before clicking here.

Edge of Tomorrow turned out good

Great, now we get to see her in everything (sarcasm).

She is cute with a nice figure, but I really don't see the hype: she was not that great of a Black Widow imho. She has more of that small-town, down-to-earth, vibe to me.

Ugh, given Hollywood's history of making derivative films from Japan there's a good chance she'll be Motoko.

Agreed, though it wasn't based on an anime. "All You Need Is Kill" was originally a novel.

Edge of Tomorrow.

@deathstroke02: wasn't based on an anime. It was a prose novel first.

Would people here be mad if a Japanese movie company made a Batman movie and had a Japanese man play Bruce Wayne?

Same thing really, I doubt Ghost in The Shell's anime adaption was very different then the manga, and even if it was it shows the franchise is open to interpretation.

You're all glossing over my point, which is that American live action adaptations of Japanese manga/animes tend to turn out FANTASTIC!

They either end up in development hell for a fantastic amount of time, or they end up as cult hilts for those of us who enjoy fantastically bad movies. ;)

I'm just gonna say anime movies should be left as anime movies.

Bruce Wayne? Not really, unless the movie took place in Japan and he was still named Bruce Wayne; then it wouldn't make any goddamn sense. A Japanese Batman, however, would be perfectly fine.

This movie would be perfectly fine just as long as they don't try to give everyone Japanese names and have them play Asian or Japanese characters. Creating new characters that are obviously in the vein of the manga and anime would be perfectly fine in spite of the fact that that Hollywood could've used the original characters and original setting and no one would care and would enjoy it nonetheless.

Besides, whitewashing is a serious issue, the reverse isn't; see the recent Exodus movie as a current example.

Cool

Whatever, don't get why people are mad, don't like it, don't go watch it.

Dragon Ball Evolution and The Last Airbender (not an anime, but people still see it as one) still make people question American film adaptations of anime.

Go away Scarlet Johansen!

Holy sh!t! I can't believe they're STILL trying to make this movie O_o

Noooooo, Don't do it!!!!!

@sbyrstall: they already made a lupin movie that came out last year. unless you mean an american version....

@micah: I get being dubious, but no need to rage over it. Not like it's replacing the source material. I hated Last Airbender, but I have the original series to keep me happy.

Neat. Though I'm sure Scarlett will be pretty good you know there's going to be a ton of people pissed about this.

Yup, and don't forget that Akira is still "in production" too.

I agree. After seeing Edge of Tomorrow, I think Hollywood finally knows what to do with manga/anime. Still waiting on the REAl DBZ Film LOL.

Ugh.

I swear, if they touch Ninja Scroll...someones getting dropkicked

I agree, I think whitewashing is a problem too. My point is that if a Japanese company made a Superman movie, and had Japanese actors portray Clark, Lois, Zod or whoever, I personally would not be very mad about it considering it would probably be made in japan, aimed at a Japanese audience, and with Japanese speaking actors lol idk it kind of makes sense to me.

As for this movie, I would have gotten the girl that played Ada Wong in RE Retribution, she might be able to pull off the part.

I didn't even like her BW to be honest...

Sounds awesome.

I don't understand the b**ching.

Interesting. Will wait to see the rest of the possible cast.

@captainmarvel4ever: in what universe? all american adaptations i know of/have seen are all awful. (dragonball, edge of tomorrow, heck they cant even their own like aeon flux and last airbender right ) and all of the japanese live action? good to great. death note, detective conan, cromartie high, and lovecom to name some of my favorites for example. but art is suggestive. im sure someone will watch and love this just not me

That one was actually quite good.

@street_level_hero: I agree. Didn't much like her as BW, either

Not okay with this. Johansson is a great actress and I like her as Black Widow. I think they an all new actress who can act out not only dish out the pain, but also command and be as respectable as "The Major."

They should cast mickey Rourke as scarlet's partner. The guy with those cybernetic shades installed his head.

I don't know why but I get the feeling that this is gonna be one of those movies that's good as a movie but terrible as a Ghost in Shell movie. Kinda like that Constantine film with Keanu Reeves

Avi Arad is producing? Oh geez, as if screwing up Spider-man wasn't enough.

A Japanese live-action version should be made first.

Ok removing the whole potential for Hollywood white washing (or more crassly just droping white folk into Japan without bothering to change locations).

I like Scarlett Johansson, she is a fine actress go watch Under the Skin and heck Lucy is like an action fevored dream attempt at a Terrence Mallik piece.

But man who else is attached just makes me think they're going to mess it up. Rupert Sanders debut feature for directing (Snow White and the Huntsmen) was genericly boring but compotent. William Wheeler did write the Reluctant Fundamentalist but man Avi Arrad is involved and that man simple dose not understand film.

Ohhhhhh yeahhhhh did gon b gud

{Based}

Not to be an ass, but "Scarlett Johansson has been on quite the role the past few years." is incorrect. It should be "roll" not "role". Unless I am wrong.

Nit picking aside, well, maybe, I am a bit curious why they chose her for this role. (Ha!) She's managed to carve herself an interesting niche in action movies but alas, I really think the part calls for a woman of Asian descent if not someone totally Japanese.

My gripe about the ethnic and race depictions being changed for characters from their original source material continues. I can be flexible as they're just fictional characters but some characters, well, not to be a jerk, really need to remain true to their source.