Danish actor Pilou Asbæk reunites with his "Lucy" co-star Scarlett Johansson in Dreamworks' "Ghost In The Shell" live action movie.
The 33-year-old star has been cast in the adaptation as Batou, second in command to Johansson's lead character .
According to Variety, the live action movie "follows a female special ops cyborg who leads an elite task force called Section 9 for Hanka Robotics. Section 9 is devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, led by The Laughing Man whose singular goal is towipe out Hanka's advancements in cyber technology."
"Snow White and the Huntsman" director Rupert Sanders has been tasked to direct the film under Paramount who is on board to co-finance the project. Johansson and Asbæk will start filming in New Zealand at Wellington's Stone Street Studios come January 2016, reports Anime News Network.
Asbæk can be seen next as Pontious Pilate in MGM's remake of "Ben Hur." On the horizon, the actor is also set to appear in the next season of HBO's "Game of Thrones."
Masamune Shirow's "Ghost In The Shell" originally started as a manga published in the pages of Young Magazine in Japan between 1989 and 1990. It gained global notoriety when director Mamoru Oshii adapted the story into a feature animation in 1995.
The movie's success spawned a TV series called "Ghost In The Shell: Standalone Complex," and aired on Animax in 2002. It ran for a second season, bearing the subtitled "Second Gig."
A movie sequel called "Ghost In The Shell: Innocence" came in 2004, and featured Batou as the main protagonist. Another sequel called "Ghost In The Shell: Solid State Society" followed in 2006.
The latest installment to the franchise is titled "Ghost In The Shell: The New Movie" which released this month.
The "Ghost In The Shell" live action movie opens on March 31, 2017, reports Deadline.
