Scarlett Johansson arrives in NZ

Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson has touched down in New Zealand with her baby daughter, as she begins filming her new movie.

The actress was spotted at Miramar's Stone Street Studios on Monday, where she will soon begin shooting the sci-fi epic Ghost in the Shell.

Johansson, 31 was seen kissing her 16-month-old daughter Rose. She was sporting a short cut and is dressed casually in jeans, a black t-shirt and brown cardigan.

Johansson flew into Wellington by private jet at the weekend with her husband Romain Dauriac, plus nanny and security guards, and the family have already been spotted shopping in Oriental Bay and going to a local gym.

Johansson did a meet and greet with studio staff and other actors on the film at the studios on Monday.

"She met the wardrobe, directors, various VIPS that take care of things, other actors," a source said.

Johansson turned heads going to a gym with Mr Dauriac and a security guard.

"She arrived at a local south Wellington gym fairly innocuously with a group, she was wearing trainers, training gear and a hat.

"To the uninitiated no-one would have known she was a star."

However, a few locals did notice her, the source said: "Heads were turned."

Johansson worked out for around an hour, while Rose was taken care of at a local daycare centre, the source said. She was picked up after the workout.

Johansson previously visited New Zealand in 2006 to visit her then boyfriend Josh Hartnett, who was filming vampire flick 30 Days of Night. The couple were spotted in a popular Thai restaurant in Auckland, where they bought a takeaway and left a $20 tip, reported Womens Weekly.

It was reported in December that Johansson was expected to move to Wellington in 2016 to start shooting the film. The movie is being filmed at Miramar's Stone Street Studios and is based on an acclaimed Japanese manga and anime series, about a cyborg police officer attempting to bring down a villainous computer hacker, played by Johansson. Her character leads an elite task force called Section 9 for Hanka Robotics.

The Avengers star was rumoured to be looking at homes in the Seatoun area of the capital. The upmarket eastern suburb has seen stars of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit move in during filming for those movies, including Sir Ian McKellan, Orlando Bloom and Cate Blanchett.

Wellington locals said in December that Johansson, who was previsouly married to actor Ryan Reynolds, had secured a luxurious Seatoun pad to live in for the months that she's filming in New Zealand. Her husband Romain is a French journalist and they were married in 2014.

Ghost in the Shell, which is being directed by Snow White and The Huntsman director Rupert Sanders, is scheduled for release at the end of March 2017.

Sanders is known for having an affair with his Snow White star Kirsten Stewart.

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