Aa new behind-the-scenes featurette for Paramount Pictures’ upcoming Ghost in the Shell adaptation provides the first real look at Scarlett Johansson in action as cyborg officer Major Motoko Kusanagi.
Unlike previous short clips that the studio has released, the video mostly focuses on Johansson’s Kusanagi either in combat situations or being created. The film follows Kusanagi, who belongs to an elite organization and is tasked with stopping one of the biggest cyber attacks threatening the futuristic world. Johansson, who’s performed many of her own stunts in films like The Avengers and Lucy, said that playing the character in Ghost in the Shell was like nothing else she had taken on before.
The video also includes thoughts from Mamoru Oshii, the original director on the Ghost in the Shell animated films on the adaptation. Oshii, who’s not directly involved with the project, said Johansson’s performance was better than he expected. When Johansson’s casting was first announced by Paramount, the decision was met with backlash from critics and fans who called out the studio for whitewashing the iconic character.
Aside from this video and the previous short clips, Paramount hasn’t shown off too much of the film. The first full-length trailer will finally be released on Sunday. Ghost in the Shell will hit theaters on March 31, 2017.
