A new deal between Netflix and the Duffer Brothers includes putting a new adaptation of Death Note into development. Death Note, which is now a sprawling franchise that spans continents and various forms of media, began as a manga series by writer Tsugumi Ohba and artist Takeshi Obata. It follows a young man named Light Yagami who discovers a notebook that will cause the death of anybody whose name is written in its pages, safeguarded by the demonic Shinigami known as Ryuk. Thus begins a cat and mouse game with the authorities as Light gets drawn further and further into the intoxicating pull of his new power over life and death.
Death Note was adapted into an anime series several years after its original publication. Although that show only lasted 37 episodes, the legacy of Death Note looms large in popular culture and it was later adapted into a novel, video games, four live-action Japanese films, and two Japanese series. Although most English-language Death Note material has merely been translated, there was an American film adaptation of the property helmed by Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard that came to Netflix in 2017, starring Nat Wolff as Light and Willem Dafoe as Ryuk.
Per Deadline, the Duffer Brothers, who created the immensely popular Netflix series Stranger Things, have struck a brand new deal with the streamer. They have formed a new partnership called Upside Down Pictures that is to be run by Hilary Leavitt (Orphan Black, Ozark, The Great, Shining Girls) and made a brand new deal with Netflix that includes producing a bunch of new titles. One of the projects on their slate is a brand new adaptation of Death Note.
Although Netflix has previously dipped its toe in the waters of Death Note, this project will be unrelated to the Wingard film. It will be a live-action series that has no connection to that project. However, word on future cast and crew as well as plot details will likely take some time to be officially announced. There is also no word on if this project will affect the sequel to 2017's Death Note, which was previously announced to be in pre-production.
The 2017 film drew criticism for casting white actors in the place of Japanese characters, so it will be interesting to see what direction the new English-language Death Note chooses to take. The story has obviously proven compelling enough to be adapted time and again, but most attempts to truly serialize it have not lasted very long. Whether or not this series will be the one to strike gold and garner a following remains to be seen, but the Duffers have certainly proven their mettle at finding streaming success in the past.
Source: Deadline