'Ghost in the Shell' trailer, release date, news details and updates: Movie to focus on Major's sense of self; Kuze confirmed as the villain

The long-awaited live adaptation of the Japanese anime classic, "Ghost in the Shell," finally dropped its first-look trailer, starring Scarlett Johannson in the lead role as Major Motoko Kusanagi — a cyborg that is tasked to lead an anti-terrorist task force called Section 9.

"Ghost in the Shell" is already a huge franchise in Japan, and it already produced a variety of movies, series and comics.

The new trailer gave fans a glimpse of the futuristic city of Niihama. Many noted that the city successfully mixed Oriental elements into a science-fiction feel that is also giving off a "Tron" kind of vibe.

Producer Avi Arad however confirmed that fans should not expect "Ghost in the Shell" to be an origins backstory, because they are "addressing [the Major]'s sense of self and resolving how she defines herself in terms of memories."

Arad however assures fans that they will still see several elements in the new movie that are reminiscent of past "Ghost in the Shell" movie installments.

"You'll recognize some things from Ghost in the Shell: Innocence like the geisha bot," Arad said. "Everything we pulled from the movie is because we thought it was cool. There's a whole thermoptic sequence with the garbageman. We did that because we thought it was really cool."

In addition, the confirmed villain for the movie is Kuze, who will be played by Michael Pitt. The character, Kuze, already appeared in previous "Ghost in the Shell" movies such as 1995's "Puppet Master."

The upcoming movie also stars Pilou Asbæk (Game of Thrones) as Batou, the second-best melee fighter who is a light-hearted fellow who loves to make jokes, despite his intimidating looks.

Johannson and Asbæk will be joined by Takeshi Kitano and Juliette Binoche. "Ghost in the Shell" is slated for a March 31, 2017 release date.