Ghost in the Shell may well go down as a flash in the pan – a beautiful, blinding flash, but a forgettable one nonetheless – but you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who wasn’t impressed by the film’s super-slick visuals.
In tapping into the archives of Masamune Shirow’s seminal manga, Paramount and director Rupert Sanders truly embraced the cyberpunk sensibilities of Ghost in the Shell, even if the film was hamstrung by claims of whitewashing all throughout development. That criticism ultimately loomed large over the movie’s domestic opening, and Paramount’s executives have since conceded that the controversial decision to elect Scarlett Johansson in the role of The Major clipped the wings of Ghost in the Shell before it could make much of a dent at the international box office.
The end result is an estimated $60 million write-down for Paramount, and the death knell for any and all talk of a potential sequel. But for those out there that enjoyed Ghost in the Shell‘s art style – or, dare we say it, the film itself – Kotaku has pieced together a collection of concept art that illustrates some of the work that went into bringing Rupert Sanders’ feature film to life. From early renders of neo-Tokyo to the individual shots of the Geisha-esque robots, it’s all here, and you’ll even be able to spot some of the alternate designs that were considered for Scarlett Johansson’s kick-ass Major.
Ghost in the Shell launched in theaters late last month and has so far accumulated $130 million worldwide. It’s a disappointing end for Sanders and Co., but fans can at least look forward to Scarlett Johansson returning in time for Avengers: Infinity War in 2018.