The first look at the Western live-action film adaptation of the iconic manga, Ghost in the Shell, is finally here!
Ghost In The Shell, the legendary Anime classic, is coming to the big screen – eventually… Especially thanks to Scarlett Johansson being locked into the lead role of Major Motoko Kusanagi. Of course, a lead actor being locked into a production doesn’t always mean. So basically… Ghost In The Shell fans are still going to have to wait quite a long time for the live action version to hit the big screen.
On Thursday, the first photo of Johansson as Kusanagi was released — a reminder and confirmation that this project, which was first announced last year and is due for release in 2017, is going forward.
Already fans of the original comics and anime are upset about something… But what?
They are upset about who was cast for the lead role.
So… what’s wrong with Scarlett Johansson?
Nothing particularly… but as you can tell, the name Motoko, is Japanese. And you would think that she is supposed to be Japanese. Naturally, Johansson is a white woman, being cast in a role that would otherwise be for an Asian actress… This is sometimes referred to as “white washing” like Emma Stone playing a part-Asian woman in Aloha.
So, in a nutshell, that’s why people are so unhappy about it.
BUT HOLD ON!!!
I had a conversation about this with a listener, and he pointed out something you may remember, if you’re familiar with the original…
Motoko Kusanagi is basically a human brain is encased in a “cybernetic shell” (hence the title “Ghost in the Shell”) … Which would mean the entire rest of Kusanagi’s body is mechanical! Is there some reason the prosthetic body must have Japanese features? That would be like only being able to buy a Japanese automobile in Japan. Shouldn’t you be able to choose from a variety of makes and models of prosthetic bodies, just like you would a car? Furthermore, her appearance in the manga and the anime does not seem to have features of any particular race… I mean… she is animated afterall… LOL
Now, if say… an American actor was cast as one of the actual Japanese “human characters” from the series… then we’d have a problem.
-BrigetteRose@1063RL
Sources: CinemaBlend, VOX, Wikipedia