‘Ghost in the Shell’ Live-Action Movie Update: Scarlett Johansson spotted in New Zealand, marks that production starts

By Staff Writer | Feb 03, 2016 07:34 AM EST

After establishing itself as one of the greatest anime science fiction film, 1995's Ghost in the Shell, is getting a live-action film with Scarlett Johansson as lead. The production crew has been sighted in New Zealand to start filming for upcoming film.

Ghost in the Shell is happening as Scarlet Johansson signed up to be Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg character, and with its confirmation, the production team was sighted in New Zealand. According Daily Mail, Scarlett Johansson is spotted in Wellington, New Zealand to conduct the initial filming for the live action film. The actress was reported to have been already in the town for weeks to prepare for the physicality of the role. Moreover, Johansson has her trainer and husband, Romain Dauriac, to aid her in working out for the said role.

In the other news regarding the film, distribution rights to the film went from Disney to Paramount Pictures. According to Inside The Magic, Dreamworks officially shifted the distributors on the late night of Wednesday. The move was not astonishing as they have detailed that Disney and Dreamworks drifted from each other in the recent years. Last September 2015, reports even insinuated that the two companies won't renew their contract with each other anymore but doors are not closed for a possibility that the film will be distributed by Disney.

The upcoming film Ghost in the Shell is based on the manga of the same title by Masamune Shirow but there are no reports indicating that it the live-action film will be following the story since the lead characters were Asian. Nonetheless, Just Jared indicated that the actress has accepted the role in which she'll exploit a member of the covert cops unit of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission who are specializing in battling technology related crimes. The 1995 film's plot has been an inspiration for directors and writers of the same genre.

Ghost in the Shell is the upcoming live-action science fiction film starring Scarlett Johansson and Pilou Asbæk. The film is a live-action adaptation of the 1995 film of the same title who was positively reviewed by critics. Filming started in New Zealand as Johansson was spotted in the production. Moreover, distribution rights have been given to Paramount as there's a break of relationship between Disney and Dreamworks. Ghost in the Shell is set to be released on March 31, 2017.

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