Ghost in the Shell opens this weekend, and there's still a great deal of question how it will do. One thing that doesn't inspire much confidence? The film isn't being screened for press in most markets, usually a telling sign the movie isn't very good. Perhaps Paramount is trying to stay ahead of bad buzz from the idiotic "white washing" controversy the film has been saddled with? If they're lucky the film does as well as Scarlett Johansson's last solo action vehicle, Lucy, which finished its run with $460M.
And yes, I called the white-washing scandal idiotic because it is. My argument from the very beginning has been that The Major is a cyborg, and thus has no ethnicity. But others have done their best to try and place the film within specific Japanese historical context, which was never intended. Just check out what Momoru Oshii, who directed the original 1995 film said to IGN...
"The Major is a cyborg and her physical form is an entirely assumed one.
“The name 'Motoko Kusanagi' and her current body are not her original name and body, so there is no basis for saying that an Asian actress must portray her. Even if her original body (presuming such a thing existed) were a Japanese one, that would still apply.”
Yep, he's right. So get over it.
The final trailer has been unveiled for the live-action adaptation of one of Japan's most cherished manga, which became a classic anime about a cyborg operative pitted against a foe who uses cyber-technology as a weapon. Rupert Sanders directs with Pilou Asbaek, Michael Pitt, Beat Takeshi Kitano, and Juliette Binoche co-starring.
SYNOPSIS: Based on the internationally-acclaimed sci-fi property, “GHOST IN THE SHELL” follows Major, a special ops, one-of-a-kind human-cyborg hybrid, who leads the elite task force Section 9. Devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, Section 9 is faced with an enemy whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka Robotic’s advancements in cyber technology.
Ghost in the Shell opens March 30th.
