The popular anime and manga series "Ghost in The Shell" is getting a live-action film produced by Paramount and Dream Works. The official trailer for the upcoming film has been released and it features a caucasian actress as the lead triggering whitewashing accusations.
The moment Scarlett Johansson was announced as the lead role in the movie adaptation of "Ghost In The Shell," fans of the source material are unhappy about the casting, saying that the beloved sci-fi series has been whitewashed. Whitewashing is the term used for casting a person of the caucasian race for a character that should be Asian.
In the upcoming film "Ghost in The Shell," the lead character named Motoko, who is by tradition, Japanese, will be represented by Scarlett Johansson. Fans are in an outrage.
Moreover, the trailer was just released and it proved that the movies producers have a huge budget based on the effects flaunted by the trailer alone. This triggered fans to wonder what stopped them from casting a Japanese actress instead of Johansson. Many believe that sticking with an all Asian cast would represent the movie adaptation better.
According to Game N Guide, "Ghost In The Shell" is not exactly popular among people who are not fans of Manga and sci-fi, with a budget that big, surely producers are hoping for the movie to become a huge hit. Having a Japanese actress to play Motoko will not help solve the existing problem of the title's familiarity with some audiences. Having a popular, A-list celebrity to star in the movie adaptation of "Ghost in The Shell" is more likely to reel in viewers.
Regardless of casting, if the storyline is lacking the movie will not succeed. Hopefully, the producers have chosen a great arc from the manga to base this movie from. Especially since they have expressed their goal for the movie.
As reported by Gizmodo, the producers of "Ghost in The Shell" are aiming to make this movie adaptation better than the anime. If they succeed, it would be the first time a live-action film actually surpassed the source material.
Moreover, the film is said to be based on The Kuze story from the anime. The Kuze arc features Motoko Kusanagi and Section 9 battle the Individual Eleven terrorist group. In addition, the arc also tackles World War IV, an ideology virus and a load of refugees seeking shelter in Japan.
All fans can do now is wait and see if the producers have picked the right arc and the right cast members to fulfill their desire to 'surpass' the anime. "Ghost in the Shell" will premiere on March 31, 2017. Stay tuned to Jobs & Hire for more updates.
