Plot

A young man comes to possess a supernatural notebook, the Death Note, that grants him the power to kill any person simply by writing down their name on the pages. He then decides to use the notebook to kill criminals and changes the world, but an enigmatic detective attempts to track him down and end his reign of terror. ^[3]

Cast

• Nat Wolff as Light Turner / Kira : A high-school student who discovers the titular “Death Note” and uses it to kill criminals by writing their names and causes of death, and thus becoming a world-famous serial killer.
• Margaret Qualley as Mia Sutton : A young girl who becomes an ally to light in her mission to the world of criminals.
• Keith Stanfield as L : A highly intelligent and skilled detective who is determined to capture Light (Kira) and end his reign of terror.
• Paul Nakauchi as Watari : The assistant.
• Shea Whigham as James Turner : Light’s father and police officer who aids L in bringing down the mysterious Kira, unaware that he is Light.
• Willem Dafoe as Ryuk (voice): A demon who begins communicating with Light when he receives the “Death Note”, and warns him about the repercussions of the book.
• Masi Oka

Production

In 2007, the Malaysian paper The Star stated that more than ten film companies in the United States had expressed interest in the Death Note franchise. ^[4] The American production company Vertigo Entertainment was originally set to develop the remake, with Charley and Vlas Parlapanides as screenwriters and Roy Lee , Doug Davison, Dan Lin , and Brian Witten as producers. ^[5] On April 30, 2009, Variety reported that Warner Bros. , The distributors for the original Japanese live-action films , had acquired the rights for an American remake, with the original screenwriters and producers still attached. ^[6] In 2009, Zac Efron Responded to rumors That he Would Be playing the movie’s lead role by Stating que le project was “not on the burner head.” ^[7] On January 13, 2011, it was announced that Shane Black had been hired to direct the film, with the script being written by Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry. ^[8] Warner’s studios planned to change the background story of Light Yagami into one of revenge INSTEAD of justice and to remove Shinigami from the story. Black opposed this change, and it had not been green-lit. ^[9] Black confirmed in a 2013 interview with Bleeding Cool that he was still working on the film. ^[10] In July 2014, it was rumored that Gus Van Sant would replace Black as the film’s new director, with Dan Lin, Doug Davison, Roy Lee and Brian Witten producing through Vertigo Entertainment, Witten Pictures and Lin Pictures . ^[11]

On April 27, 2015, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Adam Wingard would direct the film, which Lin, Lee, Jason Hoffs and Masi Oka would produce, and that Niija Kuykendall and Nik Mavinkurve would oversee the studio. ^[12] On September 29, 2015, Nat Wolff was cast in the lead role. ^[13] On November 12, 2015, Margaret Qualleyjoined the film as the female lead. ^[14] Producers have stated the film will receive an R rating. ^[15] In April 2016, TheWrap reported that because Warner Bros. Had decided to make fewer movies, The studio put the film into turnaround but allowed Wingard to take the project elsewhere. Within 48 hours, Wingard was reportedly approached by nearly every major film studio. ^[16] On April 6, 2016, it was confirmed that Netflix had bought the film from Warner Bros. With a budget of $ 40- $ 50 million and a recent draft of the script being written by Jeremy Slater . Officiellement Production Began in British Columbia on June 30, 2016, overseen by DN (Canada) Productions, Inc. ^{[17] [18] [19] [20] [21]} In June 2016, Keith Stanfield joined the cast. ^[22] On June 30, 2016, It was announced that Paul Nakauchi and Shea Whigham had joined the cast. ^[1] On August 2, 2016, Willem Dafoe was announced to the Shinigami Ryuk . ^[23]

Early casting announcements, similar to other Hollywood productions based on Japanese manga such as Dragonball Evolution and Ghost in the Shell , resulted in accusations of whitewashing . ^[24] [25] In response, producers Roy Lee and Dan Lin stated that “Our vision for Death has been changed. , and Reflect Producing teams our belief in staying true to the story’s concept of moral relevance – a universal theme That knows no racial boundaries. ” ^[21] Oka annoncé That he aussi: has a role in the film.

Wingard addressed the concerns over the film, explaining that the film is an American take on the Death Note stating, “It’s one of those things where the harder I tried to stay 100 percent true to the source material, the more it just kind Of fell apart … You’re in a different country, you’re in a different kind of environment, and you’re trying to also summarize a sprawling series into a two-hour-long movie. These themes mean to modern day America, and how it affects how we tell the story. ” ^[27]

Release

Marketing

On March 22, 2017, Netflix released an exclusive teaser of the movie on YouTube. ^[28] An additional trailer was released on June 29, 2017.

References