Adam Wingard to Direct Death Note Movie

Posted by on April 28th, 2015   Filed under: Books/Comics, Horror, Thriller
Source: THR

deathnote

Although it might have seemed that director Adam Wingard and his screenwriting partner Simon Barrett were moving towards doing more action thrillers after the success of The Guest (refer to their other previously announced projects, Dead Spy Running and a remake of I Saw the Devil), it now appears that they are being pulled back into the world of horror. We already know that their next film will be a horror movie called The Woods, about a group of kids on a camping trip who discover they are not alone. Now this week Adam Wingard has signed on to direct Death Note, the upcoming adaptation of the popular horror-tinged manga and anime series. In this case, however, it appears that his long-time collaborator Simon Barrett will not be involved.

According to THR, Adam Wingard has signed on to direct the upcoming live-action Death Note adaptation for Warner Brothers. For the past few years, Shane Black was attached to direct, however his plate seems to be filling up with other projects including The Nice Guys, Doc Savage and a Predator reboot. At one point Gus Van Sant was rumoured to be taking over for Black, but Adam Wingard does seem like a much better fit.

The most recent draft of the script was written by Jeremy Slater (Fantastic Four, The Lazarus Effect) but it is unclear if there will be any additional rewrites. The plot revolves around a brilliant student named Light Yagami, who discovers a supernatural notebook that can kill anyone whose name is written inside it. He decides to try to rid the world of all criminals, but is soon pursued by a world famous detective. Are you interested in a live-action Death Note movie? Do you think Adam Wingard is a solid choice to direct?



  • Jonny Ashley

    Death Note is a standout gem in the rough as far as anime goes. There have been some lame japanese movie adaptations of it, but Adam Wingard attached to it makes a new live-action version worthwhile.

  • Captain Planet

    I haven’t seen any of the Japanese movies, but Wingard is a cool choice. Some people have said something like an HBO series would be a better format for the material, which is probably right.

    “Attack on Titan” seems like a show that would be well-suited for a Hollywood remake. I haven’t even seen the show yet but judging from the trailer and comments I’ve read, the forthcoming Japanese movie likely doesn’t have the resources necessary to pull it off.