Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures presented the first image of actress Scarlett Johansson ( The Avengers , Lucy , Lost in Translation ) as the Major in their live-action Ghost in the Shell film on Thursday. The two studios confirmed that principal photography is ongoing in Wellington, New Zealand for a planned American release on March 31, 2017. The studios added that Weta Workshop and its co-founder Richard Taylor are working on the film.

The studios also presented a story synopsis:

Based on the internationally-acclaimed sci-fi property, Ghost in the Shell follows the Major, a special ops, one-of-a-kind human-cyborg hybrid, who leads the elite task force Section 9. Devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, Section 9 is faced with an enemy whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka Robotic's advancements in cyber technology.

In addition to Johansson, Pilou Asbæk ( Lucy ) will play Batou. Michael Pitt ( Boardwalk Empire ) will play the Laughing Man. Director, comedian, and actor Beat Takeshi (also known as Takeshi Kitano) plays the Public Security Section 9 founder and chief Daisuke Aramaki.

Rupert Sanders ( Snow White and the Huntsman ) signed on to direct the film. Jonathan Herman ( Straight Outta Compton ) reworked the earlier drafts of the script written by William Wheeler ( Hoax, The Reluctant Fundamentalist ) and Jamie Moss ( Street Kings ). Deadline reported last year that Johansson was offered US$10 million for the lead role.

Dreamworks and Paramount are co-financing and co-producing the film. Paramount Pictures is the film's new distributor, after Dreamworks ended its distribution deal with Walt Disney Pictures. Principal photography began in Wellington, New Zealand in January.