Who Should Play The Major in The Live-Action 'Ghost in The Shell'?

Don't forget the spunky, tough, and sassy Rinko Kikuchi. And she's a natural, considering she's in Mamoru Oshii's latest film, "Assault Girls."

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All I can say is THANK YOU for not including Angelina Jolie. Ugh, that would be horrible... all she has is the chest.

-Pie

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My money is on Kate Beckinsale. I had no trouble believing her as a super sexy super powered vampire in the Underworld series so why not a cyborg? Excuse me, mostly cyborg?

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Beckinsale is too hot to play Matoko, so is ScarJo.

I hate to say it but Angelina Jolie would be the best fit for the role. She looks the part, has the physicality and would embody the character's personality perfectly.

Kate Blanchet can do it. She can play any role...seriously, she needs to be a villain in the next Batman. She can be Poison Ivy - she would kick ass as Poison Ivy.

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Sasha Gray.

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I agree with Lena. I'd love to see her with short hair...

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Well, I'd have to go with Ms. Jovovich or Kuriyama-san or Ms.Q. They're perfect idols for the Major person. Short of that, I'd like to suggest maybe Gianna Jun? She was pretty good in Blood: The Last Vampire...

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I´m sorry but unlesss you don´t want it to be a B Class Action Movie you have to choose Theron from this list.

But I think she is to old for the role.

So I go for a newcomer and cast Carey Mulligan as The Major.
It´s a kind of a Ledger/Joker thing.

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Umm, we're forgetting about a couple of naturals that would do the part justice....


1) Michelle Yeoh: For one thing, I'm pretty sure that even now, Michelle could kick the asses of all of the above named actresses to Hong Kong and back again. She's proven she's totally fearless when it comes to action ( Supercop, anyone?) and has also proven that she has the acting chops bring depth and experience to an iconic Anime role.

2) Zhyi Zhang: Not only did she stand toe to toe ( and kick for kick) with ms Yeoh in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, her performance in House of the Flying Daggers proved that besides the balletic ass kicking , she 's an actress of substance.
Either one of these actresses would be better than any ' Gaijin' stepping in to take the part :> Smirk

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Funny as much as I would like to say No on Charlize Theron, she does kind of have the right look. But defiantly No on everyone else and a big HELL MOTHER F**KEN NO on Milla Jovovich.

Look at what Major Motoko Kusanagi looks like anyone who not Asian just won't do. Also you need someone who is fairly busty and not flat.

I always thought Yumiko Shaku (Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.) would make a good Major.

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Nooo, god, why???? It's bad enough that there's no chance in hell this film will have a good script, and that the intelligence of the original will be adapted for invertebrates. Now you're seriously suggesting that Milla Jovovich or Maggie Q are real candidates to play Kusanagi? Tell me, then what's left of Ghost in the Shell, aside from the name? Kusanagi's distinguishing characteristic is that she's unbelievably tough and phlegmatic. She may be beautiful, but she's not feminine at all. That's what makes her a believable special operative... You cast a slender-shouldered pretty thing in the role of a merciless killer, you ruin the whole thing. If it's not ruined already, that is.

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"Japanese woman to play a Japanese woman" is right.
It's so natural.

So the answer is obvious

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Wow, I hate to say this because this is a great discussion topic, but most of those suggestions are pretty bad...

1) Chiaki Kuriyama - Okay she is Japanese, but she can't speak English at all. Besides, she is too short.

2) Charlize Theron- Aeon Flux was horrible! So, I am sorry but she must be banned from any other Animation to Live action adaptations.

3) Maggie Q - Not a bad choice. A pretty big star in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, pretty unknown in North America, but that is true with almost any Asian actress. That is a horrible picture you posted. But I encourage everyone to do a little Google image search, and check out the other examples. With her hair done right, I think she could pull it off.

4) Lena Headey - If you are going to go with a non-Asian actress (noooooooooo!) at least go for once with some box office pull. So unless she stars in some big box office hit in the next year or so, I'd go with someone else.

5) Milla Jovovich - After The Fifth Element she became the go-to girl for Sci-Fi movies for some reason. But Fifth Element she hasn't been in anything good either. Caster her would doom any Ghost in the Shell production.


So my vote? - Ziyi Zhang

She is right for the part - Young, fit, stunning in the looks department, can kick some serious ass, and Asian (okay not Japanese, but close enough for Hollywood).

My only worry is her English skills. But as I understand it, she has been taking English classes since Memoirs of a Geisha.

As for fame, like Maggie Q she is huge in Asia. Obviously not a household name in North America, but there is some familiarity from Memoirs of a Geisha...


As for the other names people have brought up:

Michelle Yeoh -
I'm sorry, but by the time this movie starts shooting she will be almost 50. Too old :-(.

Rinko Kikuchi -
Interesting idea, good name recognition (for an Asian star anyway) and she is Japanese! She should definitely be screen tested.

Like Zhang Ziyi, my big concern would be her English. If you listen to her in interviews, her accent can be pretty painful to listen to sometimes. (And I taught English in Japan for 5 years, so I heard all sorts). But maybe she can work on it some more with an accent coach.

Also, she is a bit on the short side (only 5'5").


Angelina Jolie -
She is a bit... "Hollywood" for this role if you ask me. Since Tomb Raider, the obvious go-to chick for action movies.

But she is getting a bit old too. She is playing Moms in her films now. If you are going to go this route, you might as well get the "younger version" of Jolie - Megan Fox.

Cate Blanchet -

Well, she will be 42 or 43 by the time it starts filming? So again, I think age is an issue. And I don't think she has done any real action movies.

But I suppose if you were to go the get-a-real-actress route, and if you had to choose an non-Asian, big name star, I suppose you could do worse.

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Take a look at my blog

http://anipac.blogsome.com/2009/10/26/which-actress-should-play-major-mokoto-kusanagi-in-the-hollywood-ghost-in-the-shell-movie/

There I expanded on my post above on who should play the Major. It is a pretty exhaustive list, with plenty of pictures.

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Christina Ricci. She practically looks like a manga character already.

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After I took a look at the names for the actresses to play the Major role, every name was of a famous actress.That limits the role to too few. I want to suggest a name from out of the usual box and say Zhao Wei from Corey Yuen's " So Close."
She has the acting skill and the talent of martial arts also.
As for Zhang Ziyi, she is too girlish in voice and looks for the role.As for Michelle Yeoh, she does not look her age so not really matter and she can kick martial art butt, so do not leave her out totally.

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Megan Fox

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