Beat Takeshi Kitano joins Ghost in the Shell cast.
Beat Takeshi Kitano has joined the cast of Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures’ Ghost in the Shell alongside Scarlett Johansson.
Rupert Sanders will direct the film, which recently started production in Wellington, New Zealand.
It is based on the famous Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow.
Kitano will play Daisuke Aramaki, the founder and leader of the elite unit Section 9 tasked with protecting the world from the most dangerous technological threats.
Paramount Pictures will release the film in the US on March 31, 2017.
The film is produced by Avi Arad, Ari Arad and Steven Paul.
Michael Costigan, Tetsu Fujimura, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, whose animation studio Production I.G produced the Japanese version of the film and television series, while Jeffrey Silver will executive produce.
Based on the internationally-acclaimed sci-fi property, the film follows a female special ops cyborg who leads an elite task force called Section 9. Section 9 is devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, led by an enemy whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka Robotic’s advancements in cyber technology.
Kitano says the film tells the story of mankind in the near future in a unique setting.
"My role Aramaki is a unique and attractive character," he says.
"The story revolves around the human relationships of the characters,” said Kitano.
“This film will be stylish and entertaining, which is completely different from the type of movies I direct myself.
"This excited me and was the reason I decided to participate in this film.”
Kitano previously co-starred in Johnny Nmemonic with Keanu Reeves.