The "Ghost in the Shell" live-action movie will not be a direct adaptation of the manga or anime genres, but will draw inspiration from the franchise's vast array of concepts. One concept is the idea of transferring a person's consciousness into a different body. With this, fans can claim that Motoko Kusanagi's Asian brain is placed in a Caucasian body.

In the live-action movie "Ghost in the Shell," viewers will see Scarlett Johansson who will play the lead role as Major Motoko Kusanagi. She will be put in a familiar tactile and tangible setting filled with cables, instead of wireless connections, seen throughout the "Stand Alone Complex" anime. The villain will be Michael Pitt's Kuze, from "Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig". Moreover, making an appearance is the geisha bot from "Innocence" and the garbage man from the 1995 anime film, IGN reported.

Joining Johansson are Pilou Asbek, Juliette Binoche, Kaori Momoi. Rila Fukushima, Chin Han, Danusia Samal, Lasarus Ratuerte, Yutaka Izumihara and Tuwana Manyimo, Collider reported.

"Ghost in the Shell" is a large franchise dating back to 1989 beginning with Masamune Shirow's manga series of the same name. Since then, it continued to blow the minds of fans with two more manga series, three anime series, four anime movies and now a live-action movie.

The title explores the human condition in a futuristic setting wherein people can switch bodies like switching hard drives between computers and human memories can be forged or stolen. A key concept in such a future is identity theft. It delves into the question of what determines identity. Today, the world relies on biometrics and such, but in the "Stand Alone Complex" universe, should it be the mind when it also can be hacked.

Also, fans will be pleased that the big-screen live-action adaptation will be released on Mar. 31 next year.

Tags Ghost in the Shell, Scarlett Johansson, Anime, Movie