HOLLYWOOD, CA — Popular Japanese media franchise Ghost in the Shell is receiving a Hollywood movie adaption later in 2017. However, the movie has already sparked controversy, with the casting of actress Scarlett Johansson in the role of Asian protagonist Motoko Kusanagi leading to accusations of “whitewashing”. In her latest interview, Johansson gave statements that have raised even more fan concern.
In the interview, Johansson admitted that she has only managed to fully watch the 1995 film directed by Mamoru Oshii, as the other installments of the series were “too long” and she found herself struggling to finish them. She further stated that the majority of the movie was just characters talking while strange, screeching-like oriental music played on the background. There were only a handful of action scenes to keep her entertained, and outside these scenes the protagonist apparently dressed horribly.
“Why doesn’t the Major ever wear pants, especially in the television series? I admit these Japanese cartoons are relatively new experience for me, maybe it’s some cultural thing.”
When asked what Johansson thought about the philosophical undertones of the franchise, the actress explained she understood that “ghost” referred possibly to some sort of a soul, but found the premise utterly confusing and even pretentious.
“It is beyond me why someone would choose this word to represent the essence of a human being. Ghosts don’t even usually inhabit shells, shells belong in the sea. I didn’t exactly get what the film was trying to say because it misused these words repeatedly. To me, the entire film just screamed pseudo-intellectual.”
At the end of the interview Johansson reassured fans by saying that despite the fact that she might not get exactly what message the franchise is trying to convey, she still believes the 2017 movie is in good hands and much more likable than anything else that has come out of Japan.
“I can confidently state that the fans of the series will be pleased. If anything we’ve polished the source material by removing all the boring scenes and replacing them with better, more interesting ones. What could possibly go wrong?”
The director of 2017 movie Rupert Sanders also has confidence in his work, stating that whatever the final product turns out to be like, it cannot possibly be worse than Arise.