DEATH NOTE Director Says The Film's Got Swearing, Nudity, and a "Ton of Violence"
Those of you who are fans of the Death Note anime and manga will be happy to hear what director Adam Wingard had to say about his film adaptation, which is coming to Netflix. Wingard has made quite a name for himself recently. He is the director of films such as You're Next and The Guest, but he most recently directed Blair Witch, which opens up in theaters this weekend.
The director is currently in production on Death Note, and in a recent interview with Collider, he talks about what we can expect to see in his adaptation. One thing he makes clear in the interview is that this movie is going to be hardcore, and it doesn't seem like he plans to pull any punches. He says:
“We can do whatever we want. That was the cool thing about it, because it’s an anime film. So, technically, it’s a cartoon that you’re bringing to life. To me, the thing about anime is that it’s so adult-oriented. I remember going to Suncoast growing up and you see Akira there with the little “Not for Kids” sticker on it. That always made an impact on me. So, doing my first live-action anime thing, to me it was important that you have those adult themes. So, it’s got nudity, it’s got swearing, it’s got a ton of violence. Jason Eisener, who did Hobo with a Shotgun. I brought him on – I’m good friends with him – as second-unit director. There’s basically like three good Jason Eisner short films in there and they’re all very gory. I was able to just turn him loose sometime, and just do some crazy stuff.”
That's great to hear and I'm sure that will make fans happy. I love his Suncoast comment because I used to go to Suncoast all the time to check out rare movies and anime. I also like that he brought Eisener on to help him out with the film. That guy has done some awesomely insane stuff!
The film stars Nat Wolf (Paper Towns) as a student named Light Yagami who discovers a supernatural notebook that allows him to kill anyone simply by writing the victim’s name. This discovery leads him down the road where he wants to cleanse the world of evil with this newfound power. Willem Dafoe was also cast in the film and will be providing the voice of the death god Shinigami Ryuk.
Producer Roy Lee has previously explained that the movie “will be one of the first manga adaptations that feels very grounded but still has fantastical elements.” This is an exciting project, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out. Here's a 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?