MANILA, Philippines – Netflix is getting a second chance at a live-action adaptation of the hit manga Death Note – this time with the help of Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer.
Additional information on its cast members, plot details, and target release date have yet to be announced. The English-language project led by The Duffer Brothers will mark the second time Netflix is producing a live-action of Death Note. A Netflix film starring Nat Wolff and Lakeith Stanfield was released in 2017, but received less than stellar reviews.
Written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, Death Note ran from 2003 to 2006. It follows high school student Light Yagami who discovers a black notebook that gives him the ability to kill anybody whose name is written in its pages as long as he knows their name and face. It was dropped to Earth by the demonic Shinigami known as Ryuk who visited Light after known criminals all around the world started dying. A detective named L was the one tasked to search for the killer.
The manga was adapted into an anime series in 2006. It ran for 37 episodes until 2007, with the anime series holding a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was also adapted into a novel, two Japanese series, four live-action Japanese films, and a video game.
The Death Note adaptation is one of the projects of Upside Down Pictures, a production company deal between Netflix and The Duffer Brothers.
Among its upcoming projects include a Stranger Things spin-off series and stage play, an untitled original series from Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance creators Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, and a series adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub’s The Talisman. – Rappler.com