Bit of a mixed bag this week: following confirmation on Monday that white lady Scarlett Johansson will be playing Motoko Kusanagi in an American Ghost in the Shell adaptation, a teaser trailer was released today for a new GitS anime movie opening this summer.
Anime News Network translates the teaser’s text as reading:
The legendary science-fiction work that caused a revolution around the world.
Original Work [by] Masamune Shirow
A work in celebration of 25 years
The awakened ghost whispers…
Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie
Opens in early summer 2015
The creative team features Ghost in the Shell alumnae, with Arise‘s voice cast reprising their roles and a screenplay by GitS: Arise‘s Tow Ubukaka.
If we’re looking on the bright side, there’s one small silver lining of a possible Americanized Ghost in the Shell adaptation (and despite evidence to the contrary, “American” doesn’t have to also mean “whitewashed”): in the same way that constant American remakes of Japanese horror films like The Ring eventually caused audiences to seek out the originals, a Ghost in the Shell blockbuster might end up expanding the anime or manga’s international fanbase considerably—even if it’s only out of spite. Considering Ghost in the Shell features a badass and visibly bisexual female protagonist, expanding the anime’s audience would be incredibly exciting, especially if it creates greater demand for new content from experienced members of the original GitS team.
Of course, Hollywood’s history of ignoring Asian actresses and casting high-profile white actors absolutely hurts more than it helps in the grand scheme of global media representation. But take heart: this new Ghost in the Shell anime movie is definitely happening, and soon (at least in Japan). According to Variety, Rupert Sanders’ Ghost in the ScarJo hasn’t even been greenlit yet.
Maybe everything isn’t garbage after all.
(via io9)
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