The live-action film based on Masamune Shirow’s acclaimed manga (and anime) series Ghost in the Shell hits theaters next week, but studio Paramount Pictures has released a clip from the film that fans of the source material will likely find familiar.
The scene features Scarlett Johansson’s cybernetically augmented protagonist dispatching a trigger-happy criminal in a channel filled with shallow water. Her ability to turn nearly invisible (to human eyes, at least) allows her to sneak up on her target, and then her heavily augmented body finishes the job.
Fans of Masamune’s original Ghost in the Shell will no doubt recall the scene playing out in the manga series and anime, with the character played by Johansson in the live-action film bringing an explosive sequence to an end in similar fashion.
Directed by Rupert Sanders ( Buy Now ) from a script penned by Jonathan Herman ( Buy Now ) and Jamie Moss ( Buy Now ), Ghost in the Shell casts Johansson as The Major, a human heavily augmented with cybernetic implants who leads an elite special ops unit dubbed Section 9.
Masamune’s series was first published in 1989, and chronicled the exploits of an elite anti-cyberterrorism agency in a future version of Japan at a point when sophisticated hackers are able to manipulate far more than people’s home computers. The series set the group’s adventures against heavy philosophical themes regarding the nature of humanity and the potential tipping point between man and machine in a society when cybernetic augmentation runs rampant.
The live-action Ghost in the Shell has been heavily criticized for its decision to cast Johansson and other non-Asian actors in the lead roles rather than using Asian or Asian-American actors. Along with Johansson, the film stars Michael Pitt ( Buy Now ) as Kuze, Beat Takeshi Kitano (Autoreiji: Biyondo) as Daisuke Aramaki, Juliette Binoche ( Buy Now ) as Dr. Ouelet, and Pilou Asbæk ( Buy Now ) as Batou.
The live-action Ghost in the Shell hits theaters March 31.
Some of the best shots in Grok Imagine’s AI-made Odyssey don’t contain actors. Ancient landscapes stretch into the distance. Close-ups of grimy hands suggest people who have touched something rougher than a keyboard. For a few seconds, the illusion holds.
https://twitter.com/imagine/status/2113712964419063911
YouTube videos could soon look better without eating quite so much data, right? Thankfully, the platform plans to introduce a new video format called AV2 on its web player in early 2027, promising more efficient streaming and potentially fewer playback hiccups on slower internet connections. The big headline is a roughly 30% improvement in compression efficiency over AV1, YouTube's existing video format. That doesn't guarantee every video will use 30% less data, but it could make streaming a little easier on both internet connections and data allowances.
What is AV2, and why should viewers care?
YouTube is changing how its Home page works, giving viewers more control over what shows up there and making some of the app’s most-used sections easier to reach. Custom Feeds are now replacing the existing topic chips for eligible users, while YouTube is also testing a redesigned top bar on mobile that moves Subscriptions closer to the Home feed.
YouTube first started experimenting with Custom Feeds earlier this year, letting you type out what you wanted to watch and turning that request into its own stream of recommendations. Now, the feature is starting to look less like a side experiment and more like something YouTube actually wants people to use as part of their everyday Home page.