Your thoughts on the Ghost in the Shell adaptation?

[Zeus 7997]

It's not directly related to Ghost in the Shell, but George Takei is petitioning against the casting choices for Akira.

http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2014/12/george-takei-petitions-white-casting-choices-akira-adaptation.html

[RoseOfHizaki 131]

It's not directly related to Ghost in the Shell, but George Takei is petitioning against the casting choices for Akira.

http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2014/12/george-takei-petitions-white-casting-choices-akira-adaptation.html

 

On the other hand, people were all up in arms about the first black stormtrooper in starwars - You cant win with this kinda community/fanbase. While the whole thing about casting an all white group of actors for an asian movie that takes place in Japan is silly - why not source actors that ARENT native to the U.S?? Im sure there are probably a shit tonne of asian actors who are famous in their own country that wouldnt even mind being considered for a role  - the only downside is they might engrish very good and speak with a non-U.S accent. 

 

it seems like the U.S buys rights to whatever thats good in asia just so they can ruin it.

 

Legend of chun li was a flop but at least the lead actor was asian.

[Zeus 7997]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/scarlett-johansson-star-dreamworks-ghost-761118

No surprise but here's the update.

[Traxan 148]

Curious to know the viewpoint here on the GITS movie featuring Scarlet Johansson. If you haven't heard, it's based on the Stand Alone Complex TV series and not the Oshii film, which kind of relieves me a little. Oshii's movie was a think piece about Major Kusanagi struggling with her own existence. I didn't have much confidence in Hollywood to get her existential crisis right.

 

But, if they base it around The Laughing Man series, that'll work. I hope.

 

And if there are no Tachikomas, I'm not going.

[Original Saku 1593]

there's already a thread for this topic, next time please use the search function before making new threads as they may already exist

 

Merged.

 

and it's gonna be a disaster. I have no expectations for this trainwreck xD

[thebluedevil 4]

So apparently it's really happening this time, Ghost in the Shell is getting a US live-action movie. DreamWorks is still the one developing it and Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) is going to be the lead director (urgh).

 

It's also pretty certain actress Margot Robbie is going to take the role of Major Motoko Kusanagi.

 

Source: http://collider.com/ghost-in-the-shell-margot-robbie/

 

Idk how to feel about these choices. Snow White and the Huntsman was terrible and I was hoping they'd cast an older actress (in their 30s) for the role instead of a 24-year old. Literally America has never done adaption of an anime right so I'm fearful for this is going to turn out.

 

I'm also curious what they're going to do if they decide to cast white people for all the main roles. Do they keep the original names, or will they localize them? It'd be kind of odd to have so many white people with Japanese names running around, lmao.

Margot Robbie? Definitely seems like a fun girl with her Suicide Squad role.

But she doesn't have the body for Ma-jor Ma-ko-to Ku-su-na-gi~

(of course she can work on it, and hopefully they will make her)

But yea, Im thinking this movie would have better been left in Japanese hands

What has America done right in the last centuries? they ain't gonna start now

[Flame-X 441]

The one adaptation Hollywood has done right was Edge of Tomorrow which was based on the manga and novel, All You Need is Kill.

 

I'm not gonna write this off immediately or pre-judge it until I see a trailer.

[Traxan 148]

I don't get it, I search for Ghost in the Shell and GITS and did not see this thread. Typical of me, I guess.

 

Edge of Tomorrow was unfortunate. Everyone was saying it was great but the movie just never got a chance by the public. Some people felt it was due to the title, which really doesn't tell you much.

 

It's pretty annoying to all the screaming of white washing over the casting of Scarlet. It is really ignorant of business reality. Anime otakus and Japan-o-philes may know the movie but the vast majority of Americans do not. It's a cult film.This production will be a major summer release. Its budget will be over $100 million. It needs a major star to carry it. The studio is not going to put an unknown to the American public like Rinko Kikuchi as the lead. Scarlet is one of maybe 3 women who can "open" a movie, meaning she can be the lead and doesn't need a male counterpart who is a box office draw. The others are Jennifer Lawrence (too young) and Angelina Jolie (not acting any more, and she looks like death warmed over). Scarlet made a piece of crap movie "Lucy" a $400 million success. She is a draw and the burden of the movie's success is on her.

 

After the first Underworld movie came out, I thought Kate Beckinsale was perfect for the role of the Major. But she was given a chance to lead movies and they flopped. That's why she's making a fourth Underworld sequel. For pure athleticism, which the role demands, Jessica Biel would be a good choice (you saw "Blade 3" right?) but she stinks as an actress.

 

The casting of Batou was really uninspired, and I think Takei would make a great Aramaki.

[Original Saku 1593]

Honestly as soon as they announced Scarlet as Major Kusanagi I instantly lost all hope in the adaption... She's a horrible actor in my opinion and I just plain don't like her, really overrated. All she is, is a pretty face that sells movies as far as I'm concerned. The minute they confirmed she was doing the movie I knew then that they were more concerned with making the movie sell well then making a faithful adaptation for the fans.

 

I hope that it can prove me wrong though, but I just don't see me being able to watch it without cringing at the Hollywood bullshit they are most certainly gonna include.

[emmny 4139]

i didnt even know that this was a thing but im fuming

scarlet? wtf?

[Traxan 148]

So, we got a Japanese actor on the cast. Beat Takeshi will play Aramaki.

 

http://en.rocketnews24.com/2016/03/04/live-action-ghost-in-the-shell-movie-casts-its-first-japanese-actor-beat-takeshi/

[doombox 4421]

 

Got to see the new photo of ScarJo as "Major"... :/ I'm still so not happy about this. 

At least Variety is acknowledging the white washing but it still feels like no one cares what the fans actually want.

 

[Jigsaw9 6783]

Not gonna lie, I'm kinda low-key excited for this. I like ScarJo, and she looks badass. ;w;

[Original Saku 1593]

unngghh...

 

i dread this movie so much xD how can one  actress make me cringe so much?

[Zeus 7997]

So if we can all shut our brains off long enough to call ScarJo Major Motoko Kusanagi, I now demand you all call me Takao Nakamura the Afro Samurai.

[Ito 2438]

I know it isn't a particularly huge deal, but man she just doesn't look right. It's just that I've seen so many cosplayers that look the part way more.

[Zeus 7997]

13 minutes ago, Ito said:

I know it isn't a particularly huge deal, but man she just doesn't look right. It's just that I've seen so many cosplayers that look the part way more.

 

The entire cast doesn't look right. Let's count the ways:

 

• Motoko Kusanagi is played by a white woman.
• The Laughing Man and Batou are both white men.
• Aramaki is apparently B-tier enough to be authentically Japanese. Or maybe they were going for the Mr. Miyagi-sensei angle.
• There's a black guy playing a character named Ambassador Kiyoshi. There is no such character in the universe called Ambassador Kiyoshi. So now they're just inventing non-canon Japanese characters to be played by anyone but Japanese people.
• It's going to be directed by Rupert Sanders, whose only other directorial credit is Snow White and The Huntsman (and he didn't direct the sequel).
   

Apparently I'm supposed to be okay that the character names and location are still intact (for now) but it's hard to have hope when the director very clearly isn't paying attention to the source material. For fuck's sake the hairstyle is from SAC but the color is from the original movies where her hair is cropped short. Our very own @Arithmetica would make a better Motoko Kusanagi than ScarJo and she doesn't even have to change her hairstyle.

[doombox 4421]

1 hour ago, Zeus said:

 

The entire cast doesn't look right. Let's count the ways:

 

• There's a black guy playing a character named Ambassador Kiyoshi. There is no such character in the universe called Ambassador Kiyoshi. So now they're just inventing non-canon Japanese characters to be played by anyone but Japanese people.

 

This really made me WTF. What the hell does an ambassador have to do with any GitS story line ever? I can smell convoluted plots already. 

[fictioninhope 355]

2 hours ago, Zeus said:

 

The entire cast doesn't look right. Let's count the ways:

 

• Motoko Kusanagi is played by a white woman.
• The Laughing Man and Batou are both white men.
• Aramaki is apparently B-tier enough to be authentically Japanese. Or maybe they were going for the Mr. Miyagi-sensei angle.
• There's a black guy playing a character named Ambassador Kiyoshi. There is no such character in the universe called Ambassador Kiyoshi. So now they're just inventing non-canon Japanese characters to be played by anyone but Japanese people.
• It's going to be directed by Rupert Sanders, whose only other directorial credit is Snow White and The Huntsman (and he didn't direct the sequel).

 

[Bear 1817]

10 hours ago, doombox said:

 

Got to see the new photo of ScarJo as "Major"... :/ I'm still so not happy about this. 

At least Variety is acknowledging the white washing but it still feels like no one cares what the fans actually want.

 

 

Which is the truth. Now, they want to please as many fans as possible, but at the end of the day big production films like this is big fucking business and is all about making money. Goes for all adaptions where it's big money involved. They want to please the fans, but it's not the fans that's gonna throw massive amounts of money at them, it's everyone else. So it's those they really need to please. Which sucks of course, but that's life.

 

That's why we need more independent filmmakers in the world, because they usually deal with smaller budgets which again give them a lot more freedom and power over their product. Andrew Leman's adaption f The Call of Cthulhu is one of the best examples on this in modern times. With a budget of 50k and a lenght of 47 minutes he made the perfect adaption of a story that no-one have dared to adapt because they saw it as "un-adaptable", but with total control and total freedom he made one of the best films ever. This is film as art and entertainment, and not as business and entertainment. Total fucking freedom!

[LIDL 692]

I am anticipating it actually.

The white wash thing are blown out of proportion if I can be honest.

 

The anime of GIS is focused in.Japan.is true, but the cyber punk Japan set in the anime are like melting pot of culture and race already, much like New York for example, hence we can see non Japanese characters in it as well.

 

Moreover, if the premise is good, I am more tjan happy to see it in cinema.

 

Not all is always white washing tbh, i.e: when people accused Dragon Ball for white washing, when Goku is not even a human being, he is an outer space creature, A Saiyan, who were rescued to Earth when the planet he was from were destroyed. For all I care, Goku can look like anyone, he can look like an Asian, Caucasian, Persian, Negro, he can be anyone.

[doombox 4421]

On 9/17/2014 at 5:50 PM, doombox said:

I agree, there is a laundry list of better directors for this type of film concerning what the fans of the series want to see. But Sanders got better numbers on Snow White's opening weekend than Batman Begins or The Matrix and in 2 years is still outselling both in long term sales. And we all know what Hollywood responds too when it comes down to it. They're looking for a director to make it approachable and marketable to the "typical" American viewer. They give a rat's ass if it's an influential anime or not. They just want to know if it'll make them money.

 

Either way, regardless of director I don't have many high hopes for Hollywood doing it any justice, and over all I agree with you. It's probably gonna bomb.

 

5 hours ago, Bear said:

 

Which is the truth. Now, they want to please as many fans as possible, but at the end of the day big production films like this is big fucking business and is all about making money. Goes for all adaptions where it's big money involved. They want to please the fans, but it's not the fans that's gonna throw massive amounts of money at them, it's everyone else. So it's those they really need to please. Which sucks of course, but that's life.

 

That's why we need more independent filmmakers in the world, because they usually deal with smaller budgets which again give them a lot more freedom and power over their product. Andrew Leman's adaption f The Call of Cthulhu is one of the best examples on this in modern times. With a budget of 50k and a lenght of 47 minutes he made the perfect adaption of a story that no-one have dared to adapt because they saw it as "un-adaptable", but with total control and total freedom he made one of the best films ever. This is film as art and entertainment, and not as business and entertainment. Total fucking freedom!

 

Yep... I totally understand what you're saying, pretty much said as much on the last page.  Indies films are great and all but unless big Hollywood sees that the modern viewer won't support these decisions nothing will change. So the more noise that is made about it, the better, imo. 

 

 

3 hours ago, Candy Warhol said:

I am anticipating it actually.

The white wash thing are blown out of proportion if I can be honest.

 

The anime of GIS is focused in.Japan.is true, but the cyber punk Japan set in the anime are like melting pot of culture and race already, much like New York for example, hence we can see non Japanese characters in it as well.

 

Moreover, if the premise is good, I am more tjan happy to see it in cinema.

 

Not all is always white washing tbh, i.e: when people accused Dragon Ball for white washing, when Goku is not even a human being, he is an outer space creature, A Saiyan, who were rescued to Earth when the planet he was from were destroyed. For all I care, Goku can look like anyone, he can look like an Asian, Caucasian, Persian, Negro, he can be anyone.

 

The problem is it happens over and over and over. Her name is Kusanagi and especially in the original series, imo she didn't look white at all. And all but 2 members of the Section 9 team also have Japanese names and look Japanese in the series and the entire show large and by focuses on the corruption of the Japanese government, so how throwing in random white looking characters just makes no sense here, imo.

 

Batou could pass for a white dude, but the Major? This is on the heels of Akira which was planned to be completely white-washed, American name changes and changing the entire setting out of Japan. And if you step out of just anime adaptation you can find HUGE lists of this happening steadily. I can't say I feel this is blown out of proportion at all.

 

 

[Flame-X 441]

3 hours ago, doombox said:

 

Yep... I totally understand what you're saying, pretty much said as much on the last page.  Indies films are great and all but unless big Hollywood sees that the modern viewer won't support these decisions nothing will change. So the more noise that is made about it, the better, imo. 

 

 

No matter how many people bitch about it, corporate execs, studio producers, or whoever higher ups won't give a damn because people will go pay to see it anyways, and I bet half the people here will do! If anyone wants to make a difference, you either don't go see the movie or put the money where your mouth is. That's the only noise power we have at the moment.

 

Michael Bay quoted this perfectly when his Transformers movies were being heavily criticized and  hated on.

"They love to hate, and I don’t care; let them hate. They’re still going to see the movie! I think it’s good to get a little tension. Very good. I used to get bothered by it. But I think it’s good to get the dialogue going. It makes me think, and it keeps me on my toes, so it’s good."

[doombox 4421]

But that's exactly what I'm saying, people need to put their money where their mouth is. Hollywood makes what people will see. But unless there is a discussion about it people won't ever realize why it's wrong and possibly stop supporting these films.

 

I realize talking about it on MH is like preaching to the choir, but outside people need to hear why they shouldn't support films like this just because they have a boner for the lead actor. It's stupid.

[YuyoDrift 1540]

Wait, this is still happening?!?!?!?

 

OMFG. I love Scar Jo ( been in love a fan of her's since Home alone 3, mmmm), but I just don't see her acting the part. Her portrayal of the character for the Avengers is nice, but this is a whole 'nother field.

 

I'm so conflicted!