A manga to anime to live action adaptation of ‘Death Note‘ has been in pre-production limbo for quite some time though it looks as if not only will it likely be shooting this year, but that it will also have an R-Rating. With the source material for the series being quite dark, I’m not sure if we can thank ‘Deadpool’ on the rating announcement for this one but with the timing, it wouldn’t be too surprising.
Producer Roy Lee recently talked about the film and had the following to say about where it stands:
“[We are] currently waiting to officially green-light the movie, but we have a cast in place. I think it’s been reported but I don’t remember yet, I’d have to check the site, so I don’t want to say anything yet. But it’s a movie we’re planning on making this year.”
How close to the source material will they be? Well, the series follows Light Yagami who is a high school student that discovers a mystical notebook which allows him the ability to kill anyone which he knows the name and face of. He decides that with this power he is going to remove all evil from the world in order to make it what he feels is a perfect society and a detective who is trying to stop him. Needless to say, this ends up being quite a dark and violent work.
To really do this justice an ,R-Rating would almost be required. Lee agrees:
“It’s definitely for adults. It is zero chance it will be below an R-rating. [Death Note] will be one of the first manga adaptations that feels very grounded but still has fantastical elements.”
While it sounds as if the filming might be moving forward, not everyone is happy about the movie. There was quite a bit of outrage previously at how whitewashed the cast was which has been a complaint on other currently in production manga to Hollywood conversions such as ‘Ghost in the Shell.’
Are you looking forward to ‘Death Note’ or do you believe that the casting will ruin your enjoyment of the film? Share your thoughts below!
Sources: Screen Rant, Collider
