Here's the latest news on the adapatation of Masamune Shirow's epic "Ghost In The Shell."

Since "Avengers: Age of Ultron star Scarlett Johansson was cast in the lead role, fans of the franchise have slammed the actress with criticism, saying that an asian actress should star in the film. Followers have since signed a petition demanding that the role be re-cast.

Here's an excerpt of a petition published by Jewish Business News.

"The original film is set in Japan, and the major cast members are Japanese. So why would the American remake star a white actress? The industry is already unfriendly to Asian actors without roles in major films being changed to exclude them. One recent survey found that in 2013, Asian characters made up only 4.4% of speaking roles in top-grossing Hollywood films." 

Johansson, meanwhile, says the movie is still "happening."

"It will be shooting the beginning of next year," Johansson told Collider. "So I think we start production January or February and it's me and Rupert [Sanders]; and that's all I know."

The adaptation will be directed by "Snow White and the Huntsman" helmer Rupert Sanders.

"Ghost In The Shell" originally started out as a manga comic published in the pages of Japan's Young Magazine in 1989 before it was adapted into a feature animation in 1995.

Its success led to a TV series, titled "Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex." It ran for another season, bearing the subtitle "Second Gig."

The original animated feature spawned a sequel called "Ghost In Shell: Innocence" and highlighted the main protagonist's sidekick, Batou.

Another sequel, "Ghost In The Shell: Solid State Society," arrived in 2006.

The latest installment, a prequel series titled "Ghost In The Shell: Arise" released this year.

The plot usually follows main character Major Motoko Kusanagi and her team Section 9 and their battle against cybercrime in futuristic Tokyo.