The live-action Ghost in the Shell movie has been surrounding by controversy since the day it was announced that
Scarlett Johansson would star back in January 2015. Really, it goes back even further, to when Suicide Squad star
Margot Robbie was first reported to be circling the role in September 2014.
While Rupert Sanders and producer Avi Arad have previously spoken out about the whitewashing controversy, trying to assuage fan outrage by cryptically implying that all was not as it seems, it's taken nearly two years for Johansson to speak out on the issue, as she did so in the most recent issue of fashion magazine, Marie Claire.
"
I certainly would never presume to play another race of a person. Diversity is important in Hollywood, and I would never want to feel like I was playing a character that was offensive. Also, having a franchise with a female protagonist driving it is such a rare opportunity. Certainly, I feel the enormous pressure of that—the weight of such a big property on my shoulders."
The live-action adaptation starring Scarlett Johansson will hit theaters on March 31.2017.
GHOST IN THE SHELL Movie Development
Ghost in the Shell is an upcoming, cyberpunk sci-fi film from Dreamworks and Paramount Pictures. Rupert Sanders directs from a script written by Jamie Moss and Jonathan Herman. Scarlett Johansson stars as Motoko Kusanagi. Pilou Asbæk plays her right-hand man, Batou. Beat Takeshi plays their boss, Lt. Col. Daisuke Aramaki. Michael Pitt will play the villain of the film, The Laughing Man.
OFFICIAL MOVIE SYNOPSIS: Based on the internationally-acclaimed sci-fi property, "GHOST IN THE SHELL" follows the 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 Robotic¹s advancements in cyber technology.