Earlier this week Variety reported that the popular series “Death Note” may be adapted into a Hollywood film by Warner Bros. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Death Note, it was a widely popular manga which was adapted into an anime and 2 Japanese live-action films, all of which turned out very successful.
The original story revolves around a student named Light Yagami who one day finds a notebook on the ground labelled “Death Note”. Inside, he finds instructions that explain that the Death Note is a special book that has the power to kill anyone if you write down their real name and picture their face in your mind. After testing the Death Note’s powers, Light decides to use it to rid the world of all evil and corrupt people, leaving behind only those he judges to be worthy. With criminals around the world suddenly meeting their demise, the police suspect that this isn’t just coincidence and hire the world’s top detective, whose alias is the letter “L”. Light and L face off in the rest of the series as Light tries to uncover L’s real name to escape suspicion, and L tries to figure out how a killer can kill with just a name and image.
It’s not every day that an anime gets adapted into a Hollywood film. In fact, the only two movies from anime that I can think of are Speed Racer and Dragonball Evolution, both of which didn’t do so well in theatres. Other anime titles that are being adapted into Hollywood films include Akira, The Last Airbender (which is actually an anime-like cartoon), Ghost In The Shell, and possible Full Metal Panic. Seeing how poorly Speed Racer and Dragonball Evolution turned out, it’s questionable whether a Death Note movie will be any better. I guess we’ll just have to wait for a few more anime movies to come out before we get our hopes up with Death Note.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Stop prostituting anime. Stop. Really.
I read somewhere that their remaking Cowboy Bebop starring Keanu Reeves. Zac Efron is suppose to star in Death Note, lol.
@TKO: Yep, those are the rumours, but I’m not sure if they’ve been confirmed yet.
I’ve never heard any rumors of a Full Metal Panic live-action…
Cowboy Bebop is definitely confirmed by like….20000 news sources.
And from what I heard, the Avatar live-action was put on indefinite hold.
Dunno, I think it could be good. Hollywood can be quite good with crime drama type thrillers.
Speed racer and especially DBZ, involve some seriously cartoon elements that are very, very hard to carry over into real actor land. However, in DN the hardest thing they’ll have to contend with are the Death Gods — which shouldn’t really even be that hard with the state of creepy 3d stuff these days.
I’d look forward to it.
What?! They’ve already made 3 live action films in Japan! I’ve heard this “rumor” before. I doubt it’s legitimacy. Zac Effron as the lead, yeah? Old meme.
If Zac Effron plays lead hell will swallow the world and armeggedon will begin. He’s a musical guy, he is alright at comedy, but even his face appearing in the film will turn the psycholoical twisted horror of death note, that we all know and love, into a feel good movie. It’s just not possible for him to pull it off.
Apart from that i think they’d do okay if they stuck more to the manga than going off and doin there own thing. The only reason dragon ball evalution didn’t go well is because they turned the lovely tiny goku who knew nothing into a highschool karate geek. As for speed racer, never heard of it.
Apart from Zac efron, my worst fear of what they can do to death note is make ryuk look more normal than he is.
I refuse to go watch it!!!
WTF! Can’t they leave it alone??? Who the hell will play Light, L, Misa, Mello, Near, Matt etc….
Zac Efron as Light…
Picture that scene where Light went all psycho when Lind L. Taylor appeared on TV then replace it with Zac.
And the Shinigami’s? Who will do Ryuk’s voice? John Cleese?
Fail. No. Bad Idea.
They are going to make a complete ass of the franchise…(Unless they use some of the original actors such as L’s guy <>)
:3
damnit hollywood!!! stop making anime so commercial!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Zac Efron can’t play Light, it’s not freaking possible!!! Light’s chin is sharper than Zac’s and their eye colours are different, even if they give him contacts he still can’t play Light cus he’s Japanese for god’s sake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They are getting Zac Efron to play Light? Him again? NO, I will NOT tolerate it! Next they’ll be getting Rob Pattinson to play L… shoot me
omg seriously this is what i found:
name changes
Light Yagami
- name changed now: light reynolds.
Misa Amane
- name changed now: misa parker.
they are making it all american!!!! so the rumor that Zac Efron maybe true.. either way i’m not watching it.. i have all 3 japanese movies and thats goo enough for me. i do admit tho, i am looking forward to akira unless they pull the same BS.
Don’t know where this is from, but:
“The film revolves around Luke Murray, a motherless college student and consummate “good guy.” He is motivated not by boredom and self-righteous disgust at the people around him, but because his mother was gunned down in a robbery years before.”
…. GO TO HELL, HOLLYWOOD. -sobs-
Light = Zac Efron
L = Gerard Way
Cheif Yagami = Gary Oldman
Misa Misa = Hillary Duff
Id like to see Paris Hilton take the role of Misa!! lol!!she’s gonna be like
“I hate you bitches, okay, I’m like pissed off, so I think I’m gonna write your names on this notebook..” “You’re a sexy bitch now Mr. stalker, can you please let me go now?”
I’ll watch it if they get Mr T to play L and Billy Crystal as Ryuk.
damn!.. I hate hollywood!!!!!! stop remaking JApanese movies, for godsake!
Actually, there is no Ryuk :( Or misa, although ‘Luke’ does have a girlfreind called Sophie or somethin lol. There is no Near, Matt or Mello either. if you google it you can probably find the 1st draft of script as it was leaked, and let me say, very disappointing :(
I hope they at least get a decent cast for the few characters they left in :(
they can pull it off: with the right people.
This depends on the director, the producer, the script writers, the music director/composer, and every single actor. One screw up, and the movie could end up in a place like Super Mario Brothers live action movie.
If they have an amazing director, he’ll be able to reconfigure what needs to be fixed.
The script writer(s) need to write a very serious script that will also appeal to American audiences (I say American because that is the primary target, I believe), meaning an element of wry humor and action.
The music director will need to catch the feeling of every line and draft it into the soundtrack of life.
And the actors? Well, they depend completely on each and every individual fan’s point of view.
We can’t stop it, but we shall see, hm?
now I am crying ToT
they are going to ruin it e_o
Rage……….it better be good or i’ll just write the lead actors names in my notebook WITH THEIR OWN BLOOD!!!!!!!!!!! thank u for letting me Vent =)
WHAT!!! NO!!!! He may look like light but he CANT PULL IT OFF!!!!! DAMN WHY WHY DEATH NOTE!!! JEZZZ!!! I HATE THEM!! HE BETTER BE ABLE TO ACT! HE BETTER! Thats all i can say. im so mad.
I really hope this doesn’t happen. Hollywood would most likely end up ruining this amazing anime.
And the zombie apocalypse with come if Zac Efron plays Light. Whenever people think of Zac Efron, you think of High School Musical, which doesn’t go with Death Note in the slightest. And, Hollywood would probably think that Ryuk and Rem are “too scary-looking for children” and make them look stupid. If this movie happens, the name of Death Note will be forever tarnished.
I really think its awesome. I should make my own blog about this =)
i do not know but want to see maybe it is good or maybe i really i like zac efron my vote is that maybe
Honestly movies at are being adapted into live action should ONLY be done by the japanese, because lets face it english speaking actors in live action movies adapted from anime/manga, they just turn out crap.
I especially wont be watching it if Zac Efron is in it because that would be like putting like putting Dita Von Teese in a childrens show.
@Norman
I would love it if Mr T played L
L: I pity the fool who isn’t Kira!
Light: Damn you and your mind tricks L!