Classic anime Ghost In The Shell is get the live action treatment, with Scarlett Johansson taking the lead role as peng cyborg assassin the Major. Obviously there has been some concern with recasting Japanese characters with white actors, but anyone who’s seen Johansson in The Avengers or Lucy can see that she should kill it in the role.
Now there’s some even more exciting casting – ‘Beat’ Takeshi Kitano has joined the film as the Major’s boss. Kitano is megafamous in Japan but a cult figure in the West. Kitano started out as a stand-up comedian and TV presenter, most famously hosting the original Takeshi’s Castle, aka that crazy gameshow that you watch when you’re hungover on Challenge TV. But then he came to international fame, starring and directing in critically acclaimed yakuza films like Violent Cop and Hanna-Bi, and samurai epic Zatoichi. He’s been in a few Hollywood films (including Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence with David Bowie, and Johnny Mnemonic with Keanu Reeves), but you might recognise him as the scary-ass, grumpy teacher from the Japanese-school-kids-murder-each-other classic Battle Royale.
Ghost In The Shell is due out next year.
[via Forbes]
