Netflix’s US adaptation of Death Note has officially begun production.
[dropcap size=small]A[/dropcap]ccording to Comic Book Resources, production has officially begun on the US live action adaptation of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata’s much-loved manga, Death Note.
Principal photography is now to said to have begun on the project, which we first heard about back in 2015, with news surfacing that Paper Towns star Nat Wolff is set to play the lead role of Light Yagami.
Light is a student who discovers a mysterious notebook that can kill any one who’s name is written within it, and sets about using it to try to purge the world of criminals and wrong-doers.
Nat Wolff will be joined by Keith Stanfield (Straight Outta Compton) who’s set to play detective ‘L,’ and Margaret Qualley (The Leftovers) who’ll be playing model Misa Amune. Adam Wingard (You’re Next, The Guest) is directing, and expressed his delight at taking on the project in a statement this week:
“I am honored to be working with this great cast and I look forward to bringing Tsugumi and Takeshi’s unique story to a global audience.”
A lot of scrutiny has been put upon Hollywood adaptations of famous Japanese manga’s this year, with plenty of controversy surrounding the ‘whitewashing’ casting in the much-talked about upcoming adaptation of Ghost in the Shell, starring Scarlett Johansson.
Film producers Dan Lin and Roy Lee touched on the issue in the below statement to Comic Book Resources:
“Our vision for ‘Death Note’ has always been to bring this captivating story to the screen for its longtime manga fans and to introduce the world to this dark and mysterious masterpiece…The talent and diversity represented in our cast, writing, and producing teams reflect our belief in staying true to the story’s concept of moral relevance — a universal theme that knows no racial boundaries.”
The topic has been hotly debated within the media, as well as by fans of the original works, and it’s an ongoing issue that the Lin and Roy are clearly all too aware of. The statement serves to at least demonstrate a consciousness of the topic and, more importantly, sensitivity towards it.
Lots of Japanese adaptations have been made based on the successful manga, with the latest Japanese release, Death Note: Light Up the New World, due out this year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmPEgQHDFUQ&feature=youtu.be
It’ll be interesting to see how the US version compares, most especially against the most well known live action Japanese adaptation released at the height of the manga and anime’s popularity back in 2006.
I’m also still intrigued to know how they plan to portray the apple-loving Shinigami, Ryuk.
Hopefully more will be revealed about the project soon.
Netflix’s Death Note is set to be released sometime in 2017.
