Shane Black set to Direct DEATH NOTE
Shane Black (Leathal Weapon, Monster Squad, kiss Kiss Bang Bang) has been been hired to direct the live-action adaptation of the manga series Death Note. The series was written by Tsugumi Ohba and artist Takeshi Obata and it centers around a highschooler named Light Yagami who finds a book called the Death Note which has the power to kill anyone whose name is written within it.
Here's the official description of the story:
Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects - and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god.Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal...or his life? Light tests the boundaries of the Death Note powers as L and the police begin to close in. Luckily Light's father is the head of the Japanese National Police Agency and leaves vital information about the case lying around the house. With access to his father's files, Light can keep one step ahead of the authorities. But who is the strange man following him, and how can Light guard against enemies whose names he doesn't know?
Black is an excellent choice to direct this film adaptation. He's made some pretty awesome films in his career, and I think he'll end up making a very entertaining movie. Black had this to say in a statement,
It’s my favorite manga. I was just struck by its unique and brilliant sensibility. What we want to do is take it back to that manga, and make it closer to what is so complex and truthful about the spirituality of the story, versus taking the concept and trying to copy it as an American thriller.
Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry will adapt the manga. They recently worked on an upcoming drama called Doc Savage, which Black is directing for Sony.