Of course it would be remiss not to mention the white-washing issues that have so far dogged Ghost In The Shell's production. Unfortunately Rupert Sanders comments don't do too much to dismiss these concerns. That's because we understand why Scarlett Johansson has been cast to lead Ghost In The Shell, but the question remains, because the 1995 anime was so distinctly and proudly Japanese, whether she should have been. While Sanders' version appears to have dropped the character name of Motoko Kusangi, as Johansson's character is simply referred to as The Major, Ghost In The Shell is still set in a futuristic Tokyo, uses Japanese iconography, and the trailer featured so any similar shots from Mamoru Oshii's anime that a side-by-side comparison piece has been released, all of which proves that the upcoming film is still heavily inspired and borrows from its source material, which is a seminal piece of Japanese pop culture. Except it seems when it comes to its leading characters, though, as its protagonist (Scarlett Johansson's The Major), main supporting character (Pilou Asbaek's Batou), and villain (Michael Pitt's Kuze) are all white.