Ghost in the Shell teaser reveals first look at Scarlett Johansson in action
The manga adaptation has received considerable backlash for casting Johansson in what's perceived as a distinctly Japanese role
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Paramount is playing the long game with its promotion of Ghost in the Shell, preferring to build as much a sense of mystery as possible around the manga adaptation.
Having already released a series of five ten-second snippets from the film, a brand new teaser has finally revealed star Scarlett Johansson in action as The Major; showing off her cybernetic full-body prosthesis for the first time, as she turns invisible to kick some ass.
io9 made the astute observation that the scene actually harks straight back to the 1995 film adaptation, where the character also turns invisible to beat up her enemy in a strikingly similar setting; is this a hint that the film will be attempting a pretty straight adaptation of the anime?
The teaser also announced a date and location - 13 November, Tokyo - presuming that a full trailer for the film will finally be unveiled at a fan event in the city.
The studio's low-key approach to the film's promotion so far is certainly interesting, though it's tempting to ascribe it as an attempt to ride out the controversy surrounding its casting decisions; fans had already expressed their dismay at the news Johansson would be cast in the lead role of (the clearly Japanese) Motoko Kusanagi, and the first image of the actor in the role seemed only to solidify the dissonance of her casting.
A defining voice in the backlash was Ming Na-Wen, the voice of Disney's Mulan and current star of Marvel television series Agents of Shield; with comic writer Jon Tsuei explaining Ghost in the Shell actually ties into something deeply rooted within Japanese identity and to whitewash its story is to strip it of its weight, power, and relevance.
Producer Steven Paul has defended the decision by stating that fans are "going to end up being really happy with it" and that the film isn't distinctly Japanese, but takes place in "an international world"; though Kaori Momoi has recently revealed she'll be - confusingly - playing Johansson's mother in the film, leaving the film in a particularly perilous position when it comes to navigating the cultural issues brought up by this approach to adaptation.
Ghost in the Shell hits UK cinemas 31 March 2017.
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