There’s a lot of controversy over the upcoming Ghost in the Shell movie starring Scarlett Johansson. While I appreciate the problem of whitewashing that occurs in Hollywood, I also know that a lot of people considered the original that she’s based on to be pretty much Caucasian. Now, however, there’s a lot more riding on the film than just race relations. It could be the start of a whole chain of new adaptations by producer Steven Paul.
Variety is reporting that the exec is already eyeing his next manga property, Lone Wolf and Cub. Unlike Ghost in the Shell, Lone Wolf and Cub has actually already been made into multiple films, all of which are pretty well regarded. It even spawned a live action TV series.
So now, the question remains: Should he do it? A lot of this will depend on how well Ghost turns out. If he really knocks it out of the park, it might be worth the effort. If we didn’t have people borrowing movies across cultures for remakes, we’d never have gotten movies like The Magnificent Seven or Star Wars. That said, if he can’t get produce something that’s at least on par with what already exists, he should be stopped. I’m not even going to compare him to Paul Feig. I haven’t the new Ghostbuster yet and it could still be brilliant. However, I will compare it to Fallout Boy and Missy Elliot. If you can’t remake the original themesong and have it be at least half as good as the original, don’t. If you haven’t seen the complete crapfest that they did create, click HERE.