The live-action remake of "Ghost in the Shell" is set to hit theaters in March next year. Meanwhile, Scarlett Johansson being cast as the female protagonist in the Japanese manga-based film caused backlash for the movie.

"Snow White and the Huntsman" director Rupert Sanders has taken on directing duties for the upcoming live-action film remake of "Ghost in the Shell." The movie is based on the Japanese manga series of the same name created by Masamune Shirow. "Ghost in the Shell" is set to premiere on March 31, 2017.

In the futuristic timeline of "Ghost in the Shell," society has developed technology to the point where the human essence — called a "ghost" —  can be placed in a cyborg, which they call "shell." The story of the Japanese manga revolves around a counter-cyberterrorist organization called Public Security Section 9 and their mission to capture a cyber-criminal who hacks humans with cyberbrains and uses them to commit a number of crimes.

In the upcoming 2017 film, Johansson was chosen to portray the leader of Public Security Section 9 called the Major, also named Motoko Kusanagi.

Since the information was made public, there have been a lot of negative criticisms about Johansson being chosen to play a Japanese character. The film has then been branded as "white-washed" and "Hollywoodised" because of the chosen cast for the film.

Recently, Paramount had a media event in Tokyo for "Ghost in the Shell" and Sanders defended his choice of picking Johansson as his lead female protagonist.

"I stand by my decision, she's the best actress of her generation. I was flattered and honored that she'd be in this film," said Sanders.

"I could cast people like Juliette Binoche, Kaori Momoi and Takeshi Kitano. That's unusual for a Hollywood film. Usually, you need the star then you need ten people who can go on the chat shows and be on the poster. But we didn't have that. I was given the freedom to cast the film as I wanted," Sanders added.

"Ghost in the Shell" debuts in theaters on March 31, 2017.