In the final run-up to the release of Ghost in the Shell, the final trailer featuring footage from the live-action remake of the iconic anime has dropped, along with a behind the scenes clip and featurettes that highlight some elements of the detailed set and props.
Shooting for the film, directed by Rupert Sanders, took place across New Zealand and Hong Kong. An 11-minute long clip takes viewers through the process that brought to life some of its biggest scenes – one part shows the robot geishas attacking a room of people, another sees Major (the human cyborg played by Scarlet Johansson) in a fast-paced fight scene, with the director and crew mapping out what’s going on. The birth of Major, rebuilt by the government into a human cyborg hybrid following an accident as a child, is also captured. Clips also see Johansson and Pilou Asbæk (who plays her right hand man in the task force, Batou) joking around in between scenes. There’s additional glimpses of Michael Pitt as the film’s villain.
A featurette from Weta Workshop in New Zealand was released earlier this month – they’re the people behind some of the film’s fascinating animatronics and props, including the creepy robot geishas. Their latest visual shows how costume fabricators made the silicone ‘thermoptic’ suit that Johansson wears.
Another extra video from the filmmakers illustrates one of the sets: Major’s apartment. On the tour, we’re shown where the field commander keeps her weapons and her synthetic body prostheses, where she goes over data to catch criminals and her ‘relaxation cocoon’.
Previously, the first five minutes of the film, set to be released on March 31, were released online. Latest footage hints further at the conspiracies that could crop up surrounding Major’s past and identity, and whether the government have stolen, rather than saved, her life.
