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Scarlett Johansson, Live-Action Ghost in the Shell Producers Comment on Adaptation
posted on by Karen Ressler
Media news website Nerdist spoke to actress Avi Arad, also on the process of adaptation.
Johansson commented that the movie will not be taking the character right from the source material. "One thing that will be very different, probably, is we're not making the Frank Miller world where those graphic novels come to life. We have kind of the iconic iconography of the manga and stuff, but I think people will be surprised at the gritty kind of realness of this. For a person that doesn't have a heart, it has a lot of heart, I think. The way that we're telling it."
The film will not be adapting just one story — it will draw story elements from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG. In particular, according to Arad, the Major's story will be inspired by the episode 'Affection' in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG, and the film will address the Major's sense of self.
"When we first started talking about getting rights for adapting it, the creators went out of their way to suggest that we don't try to adapt one thing," Arad told IGN.
On her character's journey, Johansson said, "I think it's important for the Major to own her…experiences that she's been through and that she didn't really have an active choice in where she is. Instead of kind of fighting that, by accepting that, she becomes a young woman, you know? She goes kind of from being a child-woman to becoming a young woman... It's kind of a loss of innocence that happens, but the gain is really significant."
Both Costigan and Arad were optimistic about making a faithful adaptation. "I feel like such a geek making this movie because we are really bringing it to life so faithfully," Costigan said. "We are bringing things we saw in the anime to the fore in live action so I'm very excited for the fans."
In addition to Johansson, plays the Public Security Section 9 founder and chief Daisuke Aramaki.
French actress Tuwanda Manyimo (The Rover).
Richard Taylor are working on the film. Deadline reported last year that Johansson was offered US$10 million for the lead role.
Additional staff include cinematographer Bart Mueller (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay).
began in Wellington, New Zealand in January.
The anime studio Mitsuhisa Ishikawa.
