You’re probably well aware by now that filming is underway on Hollywood’s Ghost in the Shell movie, if only because the first official image of Scarlett Johansson as the lead character sparked outcry over whitewashing this adaptation of the Japanese sci-fi property. While the production is based in New Zealand, filming on Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders’ adaptation has now moved to Hong Kong for some location shooting, which means new set photos have arrived that give us a closer look at Johansson’s character as well as a few other folks from the movie.

Johansson plays the Major, a special ops human-cyborg who leads an elite task force devoted to stopping criminals and extremists, and who finds herself faced with an enemy whose goal is to wipe out advancements in cyber technology. These set photos here show the Major from a few more angles, but they also reveal actor Pilous Asbæk, who plays Batou and very closely resembles the animated iteration of the character.


The full cast for the picture is diverse, but the fact remains that fans still aren’t crazy about the lead roles going to white actors, and the blow was hardened by rumors claiming DreamWorks experimented with making certain characters look “more Asian” through CG technology.

For now, take a look at the set photos below (via Kotaku). Ghost in the Shell opens in theaters on March 31, 2017 and also stars Beat Takeshi Kitano as Daisuke Aramaki, Juliette Binoche as Dr. Ouelet, Rila Fukushima, and Kaori Momoi.

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Here’s the official synopsis for Ghost in the Shell:

Based on the internationally-acclaimed sci-fi property, “GHOST IN THE SHELL” follows the Major, a special ops, one-of-a-kind human-cyborg hybrid, who leads the elite task force Section 9. Devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, Section 9 is faced with an enemy whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka Robotic’s advancements in cyber technology.


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Image via Bandai Entertainment