Netflix Acquires DEATH NOTE Feature Film Adaptation
Those of you who are excited about the live-action adaptation of the manga Death Note will be happy to hear that Netflix is in final negotiations to pick it up as part of their feature film slate.
The film is being directed by Adam Wingard (You’re Next, The Guest), and Nat Wolf (Paper Towns) is set to star in the lead role. For those who don't know, the story follows a student 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.
We’ve previously learned that this film is going to be rated R, and producer Roy Lee has explained that it “will be one of the first manga adaptations that feels very grounded but still has fantastical elements.” I’m incredibly stoked about this movie as Wingard is a very talented director and Wolf is a fantastic talented young actor. Then there’s Netflix, which is a perfect fit for a project like this.
If you’re not that familiar with the property, 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?