Actor, director, comedian to play Public Security Section 9 chief, founder

Japanese entertainment news website Cinema Today reported on Thursday that director, comedian, and actor Beat Takeshi (also known as Takeshi Kitano) will play the Public Security Section 9 founder and chief Daisuke Aramaki in Dreamworks and Paramount's live-action Ghost in the Shell film.

Kitano said regarding the role that while he personally is not a fan of anime or manga, he said he thought the character of Aramaki "gave off a unique presence." Kitano also said that he was looking forward to finding out what kind of work the film will turn out to be. The last time Kitano acted in a Hollywood film was in the 1995 Johnny Mnemonic film starring Keanu Reeves.

Scarlett Johansson ( The Avengers , Lucy , Lost in Translation ) is starring in the live-action Ghost in the Shell film, and Pilou Asbæk ( Lucy ) will play Batou. The Hollywood Reporter also reported last month that Michael Pitt ( Boardwalk Empire ) will play the Laughing Man.

Variety's most recent description of the film's story is:

The story follows the exploits of a member of a covert ops unit of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission that specializes in fighting technology-related crime.

Paramount Pictures is the film's new distributor, after Dreamworks ended its distribution deal with Walt Disney Pictures. The film is currently slated for release on March 31, 2017.

Rupert Sanders ( Snow White and the Huntsman ) has 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. Principal photography began in Wellington, New Zealand in January.

The anime studio Production I.G pitched the rights for Masamune Shirow's original cyber-police manga on behalf of the manga's publisher Kodansha in 2007, and DreamWorks acquired the live-action film rights in 2008. Ari Arad, Avi Arad (formerly of Marvel Studios as well as of the Spider-Man and X-Men movie franchises), and Seaside Entertainment's Steven Paul are producing. The executive producers include Michael Costigan, Jeffrey Silver, Tetsu Fujimura, and Production I.G founder and head Mitsuhisa Ishikawa.

Image via Office Kitano

Source: Cinema Today; 入倉功一