Scarlett Johansson will play a cyborg policewoman known as Motoko Kusanagi The Major in Rupert Sanders' live-action Ghost in the Shell adaptation, and thanks to five new clips from the DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures co-production, we finally get to see her character in action. To be fair, not much is revealed in the action department, per se, but we do get a decent look at Johansson's costume along with some nods to the original animated movie and series. The first clip in particular reminds me of this spoilery scene from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and others play up the plug-in/unplug aspects of the characters in the story.

While this reveal will surely refuel the "whitewashing" fire that raged during the casting of Johansson in a traditionally Japanese role, there are two things to keep in mind: The first is that Johansson is the most bankable actress going these days, so you can't go more high-profile in your casting than this. The second is that the international cast also includes Pilou AsbækMichael PittBeat Takeshi (a.k.a. Takeshi Kitano) as Public Security Section 9 founder and chief Daisuke Aramaki (who you can see in a clip and image below), plus Juliette Binoche, Kaori Momoi, and Rila Fukushima. Other Section 9 task force members include: Chin Han, Danusia Samal, Lasarus Ratuere, Yutaka Izumihara, and Tuwanda Manyimo. Look for the international cast to assemble on the big screen March 31, 2017.


Thanks to one super-fan, these teasers can now be viewed all together as a fan-made teaser trailer:

Watch five mini-teasers below:


Here are a few images pulled from the above clips which give glimpses at some familiar characters and scenes from the Ghost in the Shell franchise:

ghost-in-the-shell-trailer
Image via Paramount Pictures
ghost-in-the-shell-footage-review
Image via Paramount Pictures
ghost-in-the-shell-movie-image-scarlett-johansson
Image via Paramount Pictures
ghost-in-the-shell-movie-image-scarlett-johansson-motoko-kusanagi
Image via Paramount Pictures
ghost-in-the-shell-movie-image-motoko-kusanagi-scarlett-johansson
Image via Paramount Pictures
ghost-in-the-shell-movie-image-beat-takeshi-chief-aramaki
Image via Paramount Pictures
ghost-in-the-shell-movie-image-scarlett-johansson-motoko
Image via Paramount Pictures
ghost-in-the-shell-movie-image
Image via Paramount Pictures

Here’s the official synopsis for Ghost in the Shell:

Based on the internationally-acclaimed sci-fi property, “GHOST IN THE SHELL” follows the Major, a special ops, one-of-a-kind human-cyborg hybrid, who leads the elite task force Section 9. Devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, Section 9 is faced with an enemy whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka Robotic’s advancements in cyber technology.

ghost-in-the-shell-trailer
Image via Paramount Pictures