From DHD – Warner Brothers has tapped Shane Black (best known for writing the Lethal Weapon movies, Black made his directorial debut with Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang) to direct a U.S. live action adaptation of Death Note, the hugely popular Japanese manga series that has sold more than 38 million copies worldwide. In Japan, Death Note is a gigantic franchise, with offshoots ranging from three live action films, to an animated TV series, novels, and videogames. The U.S. adaptation is being written by Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry; Dan Lin, Roy Lee, Doug Davison and Brian Witten are producing.
Said Black of Death Note: “It’s my favorite manga, I was just struck by its unique and brilliant sensibility. What we want to do is take it back to that manga, and make it closer to what is so complex and truthful about the spirituality of the story, versus taking the concept and trying to copy it as an American thriller. “
Manga Description:
Written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, Death Note follows Light Yagami, a bright student who stumbles across a mystical notebook that has the power to kill any person whose name he writes in it. Light decides to launch a secret crusade to rid the streets of criminals. Soon, the student-turned-vigilante finds himself pursued by a famous FBI criminal profiler known only by the alias L.
I’ve heard nothing but good things about Death Note – if Black does this right, it could be really, really good…
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