'Ghost in the Shell' featurette: Original director Mamoru Oshii praises Scarlett Johansson

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Mamoru Oshii, the director of the 1995 Japanese anime film "Ghost in the Shell," praised Scarlett Johansson in a new featurette for the live action adaptation.

"Scarlett Johansson, playing Motoko from beginning to end, has gone above and beyond my expectations for the role," Oshii says in the clip released Thursday.

"I'm sure this will be the most gorgeous film in the series so far," he continues about the film's cyberpunk visuals.

The featurette, which takes fans behind the scenes of the new film, also features director Rupert Sanders discussing the scope of the production and executive producer Michael Costigan, who says that the project is "very true to the anime."

The video comes days after a new teaser trailer was released featuring Johansson turning invisible and landing a powerful punch against an enemy.

A full-length trailer is expected to release on Nov. 13.

Also starring Michael Pitt, Juliette Binoche, Takeshi Kitano and Rila Fukushima, Ghost in the Shell arrives in theaters March 31, 2017.