Scarlett Johansson’s ‘Ghost In The Shell’ Casts ‘Lucy’ And ‘Game Of Thrones’ Star Pilou Asbæk
For a long time,Scarlett Johanssonwas the only star attached to DreamWorks' live-actionGhost in the Shellmovie. But with an early 2017 release date already on the books, directorRupert Sandersis slowly starting to fill out the cast around her. The first new addition is a familiar face for Johansson:Pilou Asbæk, the Danish actor who starred with her inLucy. Get character details and more after the jump.
Varietybroke theGhost in the ShellPilou Asbaek casting news.Ghost in the Shellis based on the Japanese franchise of the same title, which started as a manga in the late 1980s. The comics gave rise to animated films (including Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 movie, a classic in its own right), multiple anime TV series, and video games. DreamWorks' English-language live-action movie will be based on the original manga, rather than the adaptations that followed.Ghost in the Shellis set in a futuristic society where technology has allowed humans to replace their body parts with cybernetic gear. Some citizens even have a full-body prosthesis, with only a “cyberbrain” containing the original soul. Johansson plays Major Motoko Kusanagi, a special ops cyborg. She leads an elite task force called Section 9, dedicated to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists.
Asbæk has been cast as Batou, Kusanagi’s second-in-command and the best fighter in the unit. Batou looks like this:
Asbæk is not exactly a household name in the U.S., but he seems to be on the verge of a breakout. He’ll play Pontius Pilate in Timur Bekmambetov’s upcoming remake ofBen-Hur, and he has been cast as Euron Greyjoy (uncle of Theon a.k.a. Reek, played by Alfie Allen) in the upcoming sixth season ofGame of Thrones. He previously appeared on Showtime’sThe Borgiasand the hit Danish political dramaBorgen.
Sanders was a commercial and music video director who made his feature film debut on 2012’sSnow White and the Huntsman. While pretty enough, the film as a whole rang kind of hollow. Here’s hoping he’ll fare better with meatier material. Sanders is directingGhost in the Shellfroma script byJonathan Herman.Avi AradandSteven Paulare producing.Ghost in the ShellarrivesMarch 31, 2017.
To give you a sense of how Asbæk and Johansson are together, here’s a clip fromLucy:
