After teasing sci-fi fans with five intriguing (if not weird) “Ghost in the Shell” clips in September, Sunday Paramount released its first full trailer.
“I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to play the Major, and I am so excited to be able to show you a glimpse into her world,” star Scarlett Johansson says in an intro.
“Ghost in the Shell” tells a futuristic sci-fi story in which a law-enforcement task force, led by Johansson’s Major, does battle with criminal hackers. But it’s much weirder than that description would indicate — it is, after all, an adaptation of an anime.
The lead character, Major Motoko Kusanagi, is a cyborg working for the counterterrorist organization Section 9. Her unit is tasked to bring down the Puppet Master, a sentient virus program that has the ability to “ghost hack” into cyborgs and take over their bodies, hence the title of the film.
Earlier this year, the production came under fire from fans who were upset that Johansson was cast as the Major, whose name in the anime movie and TV series is Motoko Kusanagi.
The furor was about Asian characters being whitewashed with the casting of white a
“Ghost in the Shell” is directed by Rupert Sanders (“Snow White and the Huntsman”) and is set to hit theaters March 31, 2017.
Watch the full trailer below.