Film Adaptation of ‘Death Note’ by ‘The Guest’ Director Heading to Netflix

The westernized remake/adaptation of the Japanese manga and feature film Death Note is heading to Netflix after originally being developed by Warner Bros.

In an exclusive over at TheWrap, Warner Bros. is close to negotiations with the streaming service Netflix to pick up production of Death Note, directed by acclaimed indie filmmaker Adam Wingard, behind recent hits such as You’re Next and The Guest. In addition, actor Natt Wolff (Paper Towns) and Margaret Qualley (The Leftovers) have been enlisted to star.

Wolff will play an as-of-yet unnamed student who comes into possession of a supernatural notebook, a “Death Note” wherein whoever’s name is written will die. In the original Japanese manga written by Tsugumi Ohba and its later anime and live-action film adaptations, the central protagonist/anti-hero is named Light, a brilliant high school student with a god complex who he is accompanied by a Japanese ghost of death (“shinigami”) upon possessing the book.

According to TheWrap, Death Note was about to begin production until the studio opted not to move forward. Because of the project’s elongated timetable, Warner gave the filmmakers the option to shop it elsewhere. Within 48 hours, “nearly every studio head” approached them, according to TheWrap‘s sources.

In the wake of a mediocre box office for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Warner Bros. has admitted it will produce fewer films, and among them appears to be Death Note which has languished in production hell for several years. (Ha, kinda fitting.)

Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Jason Hoffs and Heroes star Masi Oka will produce Death Note from a script by Fantastic Four scribe Jeremy Slater. There is no word on a release date.