CYBER SCARLETT

JOHANSSON TALKS ACTING, TECH, AND GHOST IN THE SHELL

- Paul French

Science fiction is said to hold a mirror to the present – with stories escorting us into fantasies and futures still rooted in reality. And, if this is true, one might think sci-fi wouldn’t have much staying power – that after each decade we would cast off the old commentary and never give it another glance. However, since Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in 1818, the genre has been home to classics that, because of their narrative richness or technological foresight, remain relevant today.

Case in point: Ghost in the Shell, a Japanese comic originally published almost 30 years ago, with a story that depicts a world of people both connected and disconnected through their technology, and one in which cyber terrorism is one of the most dominant threats.

Released in March of 2017, Paramount’s live action adaptation of the popular manga and anime made major headlines, in no small part because of leading star, Scarlett Johansson. While Johansson received some criticism for whitewashing a Japanese character, it’s hard to doubt the influence she’s had on the sci-fi/fantasy genre, and the film industry in general.

In 2019, Johansson delivered two critically-acclaimed performances in Marriage Story and Jojo Rabbit, being nominated for a Golden Globe and two Oscars. Now, in 2020, her solo Marvel film, Black Widow is set to release, satisfying fans that have long awaited Black Widow’s story.