Ghost in a Shell currently has Scarlett Johansson as its leading lady, but she needs a villain as her counterpart. DreamWorks has found their villain.
According to Variety, Sam Riley is in talks to co-star with Johansson in the film. Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) is directing the film, with Paramount on board to co-finance.
The story revolves around a special ops cyborg tasked with stopping dangerous criminals who threaten advancements in cyber technology, Collider reports. The film is based off of Masamune Shirow’s manga of the same name. Riley will either play the main villain or one of his upper henchman.
The rumor is that he will play The Laughing Man, who is an ultimate hacker. He is capable of hijacking multiple video streams simultaneously, taking over someone’s cybernetic brain, or editing his own images out of someone’s cybernetic eyes.
Riley has not had quite the success that Johansson has had, but he earned major roles in Maleficent, the upcoming Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and On the Road.
The film is set to start production in early 2016 and has a March 31, 2017 release date.