Marvel Training Helped Prepare Scarlett Johansson for Ghost in the Shell



Scarlett Johansson bears the distinction of being the highest-grossing actress of all time. This is owed in no small part to her recurring role as Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Johanson had a thriving career even before she was a superhero spy, but that distinction has helped thrust her into a number of new action roles like in Lucy and the upcoming live action remake of Ghost in the Shell.

The trailer for Ghost in the Shell dropped earlier this week, giving us our first look at what to expect from Johansson’s role as cyborg police enforcer, The Major. While there are certainly some elements of a psychological thriller hinted, the film doesn’t look to be skimping on high-concept action sequences.

CinemaBlend recently attended a Tokyo Q&A of Scarlett Johansson following the release of the new trailer. Alongside director Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) and co-star Takeshi Kitano (The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi – 2003) and the actress revealed the benefits of having a history in fight choreography.

“I did a lot of training, just because I wanted to be able to have the physical presence of someone who is entirely capable. And then, of course, I had to actually be kind of capable. Luckily I have had a lot of fight training and weapons training for all those little Marvel movies, so it actually comes in quite handy because it builds this vocabulary. And then did I lot of, you know, a lot of repetition and then a lot of tactical training, which I’d never done before – with room clearing and all that stuff, to just be as efficient with the weapons as possible.”


Emily Blunt (Edge of Tomorrow) recently joked about being one of maybe four women in Hollywood consistently rumored for action roles – “A woman doing push-ups? There’s only one who can do that!” Despite the misconception, there’s definitely something to be said for an actor with a foundation of athleticism. While The Major certainly uses different fighting techniques than Black Widow, it makes sense that Johansson’s training would help her get into the groove of playing a similarly agile warrior.

Whether or not the Ghost in the Shell remake holds a candle to the original, hopefully, it’ll tide over fans of Johansson’s action heroics until we finally get that Black Widow solo film we’ve been clamoring for.

KEY RELEASE DATES
Ghost in the Shell release date: Mar 31, 2017