The Ghost in the Shell Cinema Preview, Episodes 1 & 2 + Making of (English audio for the show) -
As suggested by the trailers (albeit in terms of stills and moments, rather than narrative) that this is indeed returning to the tone of the original manga and is very much a adaptation hemming very close to it. So all the goofy nonsense is here, the serious narrative as the core of the missions the Major and the gang embark on (perhaps with some awkward transitions particularly with the first episode) and the very Shirow-esque horny asides still included (notably the scene of Motoko and her girlfriends on the boat is adapted and while not explicit, still will raise an eyebrow, no doubt). Still much to see for the actual series but am pleased about this start, exciting animation and music included.
New dub cast settled what few doubts I had, but I did know given the this very likely tone shift (and content really, given the aforementioned boat scene) meant that "recasts" were likely but all were fits to me (albeit a new approach, Suzie's Major has to be different) and the couple I wasn't so sure on paper were no issue at all.