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It’s a bold publicity move that shows confidence in what they’ve got, though almost certainly designed to draw attention away from the other conversation surrounding the film — an examination of whitewashing in Hollywood and what it means when non-white characters go to bankable white names.
Watch the promised first five minutes of the film below:
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ICYMI: watch an extended clip from #GhostintheShell from the beginning of the movie.
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And here are the numerous other attempts to hype the film and keep you from asking “wait, isn’t ScarJo’s character supposed to be Japanese?” They’re really pushing this one hard:
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And to the casting point, here’s what the director of the original 1995 animated Ghost in the Shell had to say:
“What issue could there possibly be with casting her? The Major is a cyborg and her physical form is an entirely assumed one. The name ‘Motoko Kusanagi’ and her current body are not her original name and body, so there is no basis for saying that an Asian actress must portray her. Even if her original body (presuming such a thing existed) were a Japanese one, that would still apply.”
You can catch Ghost in the Shell in theaters starting March 31.
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This post was originally published on Queerty and is republished here with permission.
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Well, being the wrench in the machine, I have to ask a few questions here. Where were all these warriors of justice when so many guy movies such as Star wars, and Ghostbusters had the male roles replaced with females? That was “empowering” I think was the word, and guys that spoke up where “whiners”, or “mansplaining”. Not ethnic enough? Well, where were they when the Godfather was Dutch? My people are not on the list? Honestly, the only thing I took away from that was that Scarlett, in that tight suite, can thumb her nose at all the past… Read more »