Ever since the release of the trailer, the live adaptation of "Ghost in the Shell" starring Scarlett Johansson has gotten a lot of praise (and criticisms) as they've seen "The Avenger" actress executing her roles well. Now, people might wonder who the leading villain will be. Most fans of the series would've hoped for the Puppetmaster to be villain, but director Rupert Sanders says otherwise.
According to Comicbook.com, Sanders and his team revealed that the villain from "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG" named Hideo Kuze will be primary antagonistic force of the movie. Although being a minor villain from the hit anime franchise, the film production team will actually be implementing other characters from the anime and integrating them in Kuze.
"I think to be honest, Kuze borrows a few facets from different characters in the series," Sanders said. "He's not just Kuze and he's not just the puppet master. He's kind of an amalgamation of the way he moves through the network is borrowed from other elements.
"The Dreamers" actor Michael Pitt is said to take on the role of Kuze and it was his help that aided in creating the film adaptation's version of the villain. As stated by Sanders: "Michael Pitt was incredibly immersed in that world. I mean he really went fully in there. He was living in a shipping container next to set, so he could smoke and punch bags simultaneously. He'd be constantly skipping rope. He was incredible."
"Him and Scarlett together were these incredible specimens," Sanders continued. "He was scrawling and drawing and he really immersed himself in the violence of the man. I think it's an incredible performance."
It is still unclear whether this new direction would cause an outrage or delight among fans, but one thing's for sure, they were surprise to hear about this new direction. "The Ghost in the Shell" anime series that they're so familiar about always featured the notorious Puppetmaster as a force to reckon for the protagonist Matoko Kusanagi. After all, he was known to be a terrorist and has the ability to control mechanical devices and cybernetic beings through his "ghost-hacking" skills.
The villain in the live adaptation of "The Ghost in the Shell" would focus on Hideo Kuze as the leader of the terrorist group called the Individual Eleven. Their goal is to suppress refugee rights in Japan to keep foreigners out of the country or even worse. It's up to Kusanagi and her team of Section 9 to thwart the terrorist group and bring justice in the society.
Earlier news reports reveal that while it was a pleasant surprise that the well-known protagonist of the series, Major Matoko Kusanagi, was played by Scarlett Johansson - who fits the role due to her recent role as Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, others were baffled and expressed their disdain at the casting choice since Kusanagi in the anime is supposed to be Japanese.
Director Rupert Sanders addressed this and still stood by his decision to keep Johansson. He mentioned that the actress was perfect for the role of the Major, saying that "many people that were around the original anime have been vehemently in support of her because she's incredible, and there are very few people like her."
The live adaptation of "The Ghost in the Shell" is a joint production Paramount and DreamWorks and set to premiere in the U.S. on Mar. 31, 2017.