The Hollywood Reporter today brings word that Rila Fukushima has closed a deal to join Paramount’s live-action rendition of Ghost in the Shell.
Best known for her involvement across both Wolverine and Arrow, the outlet didn’t disclose which character Fukushima would be playing in the 2017 feature, but news of a Japanese actress being drafted in for the high-profile adaptation is certainly promising, even if skeptics still lambaste Ghost in the Shell for whitewashing its preliminary cast.
Whatever your stance, in light of today’s casting, that ensemble now includes Scarlett Johansson in the role of the Major, a deadly human-cyborg who spearheads an elite task force known as Section 9. Meanwhile, there’s also parts for Michael Pitt as key villain The Laughing Man, Beat Takeshi Kitano as Daisuke Aramaki and Juliette Binoche as Dr. Ouelet. Game of Thrones’ Pilou Asbaek also stars along with Chin Han, Danusia Samal, Lasarus Ratuere, Yutaka Izumihara, and Tuwanda Manyimo set as members of Section 9.
On the other side of the lens is Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman), with the official synopsis of the Ghost in the Shell manga teeing up a futuristic world of cyber criminals and extremists.
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 Robotic’s advancements in cyber technology.
Ghost in the Shell has been slated for a theatrical bow on March 31, 2017.