'Ghost in the Shell' trivia and fun facts
Change of name
Major Motoko Kusunagi has been renamed to Major Mira Killian in this film, to appeal to a wider non-Japanese manga audience.
Shooting in New Zealand
The shooting of the film took place in the city of Wellington, capital of New Zealand.
Game of Thrones
Three of the cast members have also taken part in 'Game of Thrones'. This includes Pilou Asbæk (Euron Greyjoy), Joseph Naufahu (Khal Moro) and Rila Fukushima (a Red Priestess).
Matthias Schoenaerts
Matthias Schoenaerts was considered for the male lead of Batou. Pilou Asbæk was cast instead.
Margot Robbie
Margot Robbie was firstly considered for the lead role. However, negotiations broke down and the role was offered to Scarlett Johansson.
Sam Riley
Sam Riley was in talks for the role of Kuze, but Michael Pitt was finally cast.
Hideo Kuze
The film's villain is Hideo Kuze (a terrorist cyborg), but incorporates elements of the Laughing Man (a hacker who walks around in a parka coat).
Angry fans
Fans of the manga and anime complained for the choice of Scarlett Johansson for the main role instead of an asiatic actress.
Anime
Based on a manga and anime of the same name.
The Geishas
The Geisha's featured in many of the films trailers wore physical full head Masks, created by Weta Workshop, modelled after Japanese Actress Rila Fukushima. Even the opening or 'exploding' of the Geisha's heads was handled mechanically rather than by using CGI.