So when it was my turn to start developing projects, I knew the writers I wanted to work with, and I had met every head of studio, every executive and a lot of producers. I started finding things, little crumbs off other people's tables that I would make my own.

I think you can get away with being a bit more political in science fiction.

I feel very strongly about the legacy of Ghost and I'm the next part of that chapter and hopefully a very long and continuing story through the franchise of Ghost in the Shell which is already a huge universe. So yes, I felt pressure, but you always feel pressure as an artist creatively in any endeavour you do, so you just have to do the best that you can do and then hope that is successful.

You've got pressure making any film, frankly. Whenever you're doing something in the public eye you have to silence it really, you can't read the blogs and take them at face value, you just have to say, 'I'm lucky enough to be in this position, to do this job'.

I think it's possible to make a blockbuster that is actually emotional. They don't need to be mutually exclusive.

Our story is a 'once upon a time', but it's not a 'happy ever after'.

I cast very much from the gut, and I think I was very lucky to be able to get... many amazing international... people that I had always really wanted to work with.