‘Ghost In The Shell’ Live-Action Updates: Scarlett Johansson Spotted in Full Costume in Hong Kong; Rila Fukushima of ‘Wolverine’ Joins Cast

‘Ghost In The Shell’ live-action adaptation lead actress Scarlett Johansson is spotted in full costume in Hong Kong as main protagonist Major Motoko Kusanagi. Meanwhile, Rila Fukushima of ‘Wolverine’ and ‘Arrow’ fame joins the growing Asian cast in the film surrounded by whitewashing controversy.

According to Collider, new behind-the-scenes photographs from Rupert Sanders’ upcoming live-action adaptation of ‘Ghost In The Shell’ have recently been released. The images featured Johansson in full costume as The Major, a cyborg tasked at putting down hackers and other cyber criminals.

The photographs from on-location in Hong Kong showed Johansson sporting a short jet-black bob, a plain grey tank top, and black jeans. Although she does resemble the original Kusanagi, critics continue to slam the film’s apparent whitewashing of its actors – specifically its leads. Rumors emerged that DreamWorks Pictures experimented on some CG technology intending to make its cast members look “more Asian” through digital manipulation.

In the original anime and manga series, Major Motoko Kusanagi was employed as the field commander of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission’s fictional law-enforcement division called Public Security Section 9. She is a fully augmented cybernetic being known for her extreme intelligence and superhuman strength. Kusanagi was voiced by Atsuko Tanaka in the original animated movie as well as in the ‘Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex’ series.

Meanwhile, the new film is also set to star model-actress Rila Fukushima. According to Forbes, she joins fellow Japanese actors Takeshi Kitano, Kaori Momoi, and Yutaka Izumihara in an apparent move by DreamWorks to put off more whitewashing criticism. The actress is known for her roles in Hollywood films such as ‘The Wolverine’ as well as in television including HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ and The CW’s ‘Arrow’.

‘Ghost In The Shell’ is an upcoming American fantasy-action film based on the Japanese cyberpunk manga of the same name created by Masamune Shirow. It is directed by Rupert Sanders and produced by Ari Arad, Avi Arad and Steven Paul with Michael Costigan, Tetsuya Fujimura, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, Jeffrey Silver, and Mark Sourian executive producing.

The first full-feature film released in 1995 is considered to be one of the greatest anime films in history. It was praised generously by critics and boasted several awards. It earned a total of $2.3 million, with $515,905 earned in the domestic box office following its premiere in the United States on March 1996.