In 2016, we will continue to follow the story of the iconic Death Note, which has remained relevant since the manga version concluded in 2009. However, this year marks the release of a new film adaptation from Japan, with another version of Death Note set to premiere on Netflix in 2017.
Currently, while the film does not yet have an official title, this new Death Note adaptation has already attracted significant attention from fans due to its major changes in content. Firstly, the character Kira has been altered from an intelligent young man to a regular college student, while the iconic detective L is now portrayed as a person of color. These changes have left fans skeptical about whether the film can succeed with such significant deviations from the original source material.
In a recent interview with Collider, director Adam Wingard (known for his work on Blair Witch) shared insights about the upcoming Death Note film. According to him, the movie will feature many distinct elements compared to previous Death Note adaptations:
“We are allowed to innovate however we want. The goal is to create something unique from the existing anime and manga. It’s like we are taking the characters from the pages and bringing them to life on screen. For me, there are anime that are profound and resonate more with adult audiences. I still remember the time I went to Suncoast and watched Akira, an anime that has a lot of mature themes and is almost not suitable for children. The film has left a strong impression on me.
Because of that, I believe that adapting an anime into a film requires focusing on adult-oriented scenes. This means it has to include intense moments, action-packed sequences, and violent scenes. I also have a collaborator, director Jason Eisener, and I feel that he is perfectly suited for this project due to his previous short films being quite… violent, edgy, and having a bit of a rough edge.”
Thus, it appears that the Death Note adaptation will be a violent version that may be classified as R-Rated, limiting its audience to older viewers.
The film will feature director Adam Wingard (who previously directed Blair Witch) with a cast including Nat Wolff (the male lead from The Fault in Our Stars) as Light – Kira, Keith Stanfield (from Straight Outta Compton) as L, and Willem Dafoe (John Wick) as the Shinigami Ryuk.
The film is expected to premiere on Netflix in 2017.
