Ghost in the Shell faces an uphill battle on March 31st if it’s to truly win over the naysayers, that much we know, but there’s no question that Rupert Sanders’ live-action manga movie is shaping up to be a visual treat.
Now that we’re little over a week out from welcoming Scarlett Johannson’s Major into theaters, and the intricate VFX work is all but complete, Paramount has today rolled out an extended clip for Ghost in the Shell via Twitter that’s pulled from the film’s super-sleek opening sequence. Perched over a vertiginous drop, here we get a glimpse of The Major closing in on a terrorist threat. Section 9 is en route to the scene, but ScarJo’s groundbreaking cyborg tends to take matters into her own hands. First spotted by CBM, you’ll find the film’s first five minutes above and, in case you missed it, yesterday also conjured up a peek at ScarJo tracking an armed goon as part of Ghost‘s iconic “water fight” scene. You’ll be able to relive that tense standoff below.
At four-and-a-half minutes in length, it’s arguably one our best looks at Ghost in the Shell to date, as The Major begins to hone in on a squad of enemies. All of this will tee up her inevitable clash with Kuze, Michael Pitt’s nefarious (rogue?) AI that’s already delivered a stark warning to the Hanka Corporation and its allies.
Ghost in the Shell is one of the first high-profile manga movies to come out of Hollywood in years, and we’ll discover if that wait has been worth it on March 31st. Other feature films simmering in development include Death Note and Robert Rodriguez’s Alita: Battle Angel, which once had James Cameron attached at the helm.