It has just shifted studios from Disney to Paramount, and the team behind the live-action Ghost In The Shell is making moves to assure people it's still on track. Director Rupert Sanders has now zeroed in on someone to play the main villain, with Michael Pitt set to threaten Scarlett Johansson.
The film adapts Masamune Shirow’s original 1989 manga, and will see Johansson as a female special ops cyborg at the head of an elite task force known as Section 9. The team, working for Hanka Robotics, is in charge of stopping dangerous criminals and extremists, and their prime target is The Laughing Man, a terrorist dedicated to wiping out all of Hanka’s cyber technology.
Despite earlier talk of Sam Riley circling the role, that deal never went through and now Pitt is the villainous character, described in The Hollywood Reporter's story as a bitter, vengeful cybernetic troublemaker with a unique visual style – think street artist meets Bond baddie.
Sanders is preparing to kick off shooting later this month, working from Jonathan Herman's script. Pilou Asbæk is also starring, playing Johansson's top lieutenant. For more on Ghost In The Shell, head to our briefing.