Ghost In The Shell Cast: Michael Pitt, who was part of one of the most unexpected season finales on HBO's Boardwalk Empire, nabbed the villain role the villain opposite Scarlett Johansson in DreamWorks' live-action adaptation of the manga series Ghost in the Shell.

Pitt will play the Laughing Man in the manga, a bitter and vengeful man with a body that is part robot.

 "Ghost in the Shell'will be directed by Rupert Sanders, who helmed Snow White and the Huntsman. The screenplay was adapted by Jonathan Herman, who wrote Straight Outta Compton. Herman took over from previous writers Jamie Moss and William Wheeler.

"Ghost in the Shell'tells the story of a covert operations unit of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission. The unit mainly investigates technology-related crime. Johansson is playing the lead role Motoko Kusanag - squad leader of the elite Public Security Section 9 - G. More than 63,000 fans of the original Japanese "Ghost in the Shell'series supported an online petition saying the role should have gone to an Asian actor.

The petition is called DreamWorks: Stop whitewashing Asian characters.

"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," the petition reads.

"Dreamworks could be using this film to help provide opportunities for Asian-American actors in a market with few opportunities for them to shine - please sign the petition asking them to reconsider casting Scarlett Johansson in "Ghost in the Shell'and select actors who are truer to the cast of the original film!"

The live-action "Ghost in the Shell' which will also feature Johansson's "Lucy" co-star Pilou Asbæk as high-ranking warrior Batou and Sam Riley.

"Ghost in the Shell' has been a passion project for DreamWorks principal Steven Spielberg.