Scarlett Johansson's GHOST IN THE SHELL Sets Pilou Asbæk as Male Lead

Variety reports that The Borgias and Borgen star Pilou Asbæk has been cast as the male lead in DreamWorks' Ghost in the Shell film opposite Scarlett Johansson. Asbæk actually appeared on screen briefly with Johansson in last year's Lucy, playing the skeezy boyfriend who forces her to deliver a package that kicks off that film's story. Here's a brief synopsis for those who need it:

Based on the internationally-acclaimed sci-fi property, “Ghost in the Shell” follows a female special ops cyborg who leads an elite task force called Section 9 for Hanka Robotics. Section 9 is devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, led by The Laughing Man whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka’s advancements in cyber technology.

In Ghost in the Shell, Asbæk will play a character named Batou, the section's best fighter and the army's second in command.

Rupert Sanders (Snow White and The Huntsman) is directing, and I'm very interested to see what he can do since Snow White is the only feature on his resume so far. I thought that movie had some decent visuals, but its script was sorely lacking; hopefully Straight Outta Compton screenwriter Jonathan Herman will be able to make sure this story is better this time around and give fans a worthy adaptation of the manga, anime, TV shows, and previous films.

Asbæk will soon be seen on the next season of Game of Thrones, and he'll also be playing Pontius Pilate in the upcoming Ben-Hur remake.

Ghost in the Shell arrives in theaters on March 31st, 2017.