"DEATH NOTE" Film On NETFLIX Begins Producton, Cast Revealed

It’s all systems go finally as principal photography began on June 30 for Netflix’s live-action film adaptation of the worldwide hit manga series “Death Note”, following a three-way bidding contest with two other studios after the project was let go by its original holders at Warner Brothers, as reported on Variety. A partial cast list has also been released.

Adam Wingard, who has taken up directorial duties for the movie in place of Shane Black, said in a statement picked up by Comic Book Resources that he was honored to be working with the cast and is looking forward to bringing the original Japanese manga story to a global audience.

Originally created by by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, “Death Note” tells the story of Light Yagami, a gen ius high school student with a black and white view of good and evil. Upon discovering a mysterious notebook that has the magical power of killing any person whose name is written on it with his face in the mind of the writer, Light begins a self-anointed crusade of killing all criminals.. When global authorities begin hunting down the cause of the widespread deaths, Light’s mission is twisted into also murdering anyone who gets in his way, anyone who criticizes his methods, anyone whose personal ties to him can be exploited, and ultimately anyone who fits in his ever-increasing criteria of being unworthy of living in “his world”.

The initial cast list for the film stars Nat Wolff from “The Fault in Our Stars” as Light Turner, Margaret Qualley (“The Leftovers”) as Mia Sutton (Misa Amane in the original Japanese), Keith Stanfield (“Short Term 12”) as the eccentric genius detective L, Paul Nakauchi (“Star Wars: the Clone Wars”) as L’s manservant Watari, and Shea Whigham (“Agent Carter”) as Light’s father James Turner (Soichiro Yagami).

A powerhouse team is set to produce the film for Netflix, according to Anime News Network. It comprises Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment, Dan Lin of Lin Pictures, Jason Hoffs of Viz Productions, and actor Masi Oka of “Heroes” fame. Lee and Lin have issued a joint statement wherein they believed that their production staying true to the original Japanese story’s theme of moral relevance is a universal theme that knows no racial boundaries.

In its native Japan, the “Death Note” manga has already been adapted multiple times across various media, from the 2006 TV anime, a 2014 stage musical by a joint Japan-US Broadway production team, a 2015 live-action TV series, and three live-action films with a fourth, entitled “Dead Note 2016” scheduled to premiere in Japanese theaters on October 29. Most of these properties are made available in North America by Viz Media, with the live-action TV series streamed on Crunchyroll.

“Death Note” is set to be released next year 2017 as a Netflix exclusive film.

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