Ghost in the Shell hasn't got off to the great start that Paramount Pictures had been hoping for when it green-lit the live-action adaptation of the beloved cyberpunk franchise. Critics first sunk their teeth into, with top critics at Rotten Tomatoes only giving it a 30% rating. Moviegoers weren't impressed with it either, handing out a weak 'B' CinemaScore.
With poor reviews and lack of enthusiasm from those that haven't seen it, it is no wonder that Ghost in the Shell is struggling mightily at the box office. It opened a couple weeks ago in third-place with $18.6 million at the North American box office and currently has a domestic total of $34 million. Internationally, the film has done much better, pulling in $96.9 million so far. Even so, Paramount -- which blames the white-washing controversy for its struggles -- is poised to lose nearly $60 million by the time its theatrical run closes.
Gifted conceptual artist Ash Thorp, who previously worked Prometheus, X-Men: First Class, and The Amazing Spiderman 2, was brought on board Ghost in the Shell to design solograms (a.k.a. solid holograms), the futuristic Section 9 cityscape, logos, posters, and props (Major's bike, Batou's car).
Check out a sample of Thorp's artwork in our slideshow.
In the near future, Major (Scarlett Johansson) is the first of her kind: A human saved from a terrible crash, who is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world's most dangerous criminals. When terrorism reaches a new level that includes the ability to hack into people's minds and control them, Major is uniquely qualified to stop it. As she prepares to face a new enemy, Major discovers that she has been lied to: her life was not saved, it was stolen. She will stop at nothing to recover her past, find out who did this to her and stop them before they do it to others.
MORE: Alternate Kuze Designs / Here's What Ghost In The Shell's Flop Means for Live-Action Anime / Japanese Moviegoers React To Scarlett Johansson's Ghost In The Shell
The cast also includes Beat Takeshi Kitano as Daisuke Aramaki, Juliette Binoche as Dr. Ouelet, Michael Pitt as Kuze, Pilou Asbæk as Batou, and Kaori Momoi. The members of Section 9 are played by Chin Han, Danusia Samal, Lasarus Ratuere, Yutaka Izumihara and Tuwanda Manyimo.
Snow White and the Huntsman helmer, Rupert Sanders, is directing — based on a screenplay by Jamie Moss and William Wheeler and Ehren Kruger.
Ghost in the Shell will be released in the U.S. on March 31, 2017.
Unused Posters
"Maciej [Kuciara] and I pitched a few poster renditions for the marketing of the film. Although the posters were not eventually commissioned, we really enjoyed connecting and building them out regardless." - Ash Thorp
Lost Concepts
"After working on the film project for about a year, there were various tests and concepts that never made it through to the final film edit. However, I really enjoyed the process of making them and wanted to share some of them with you nonetheless. Please enjoy!" - Ash Thorp
