Death Note

Adam Wingard’s adaptation of popular anime series Death Note drew a lot of heat before the public even saw a single frame, as fans of the original were displeased to learn he’d set the film in the U.S. instead of the original Japan and make the Asian lead into a white guy, a move we shall henceforth refer to as “Ghost in the Shelling.” And while the question of whitewashing will most likely persist on through the film’s August 25 release, we still have yet to see whether it will be a competent horror film on non-politicized terms. Today, the public can start to get an impression of whether the film is garden-variety bad in addition to being #problematic.

San Diego Comic-Con, like life, comes at you fast. With just a couple of short weeks until SDCC 2017, the first panel and scheduling announcements have started to roll in — including, wonder of all wonders, a Twin Peaks panel in Hall H (unfortunately, David Lynch will not be giving us the mystifying pleasure of experiencing “David Lynch at Comic-Con”). Following that wild announcement, SDCC has unveiled their official Thursday film lineup, which includes panels from 20th Century Fox (hello, Deadpool!), the DCU and Netflix.

For most fans of the Death Note manga and/or anime series, it may seem a little odd that Netflix’s new movie based on the property is set in the U.S. It was, after all, a Japanese series to begin with. Recently, director Adam Wingard explained why he thought it was necessary for his version of the story that it be set in America, with American actors.

Regardless of how you felt about last year’s Blair Witch, Adam Wingard has earned more than enough goodwill with genre flicks like You’re Next and The Guest to ensure that we’ll be stoked to see whatever he does next. That would be Death Note, his American adaptation of the classic Japanese manga, starring Willem Dafoe as a spiky-headed and mega-creepy, self-described “death god” (I mean, what did you expect).

Yes, it’s true, that Netflix Death Note movie is still happening, despite the fact that it feels like a fever dream cooked up by someone not quite out of their goth phase. The movie is based on the popular series of manga and anime about a bunch of teens who stumble upon a mysterious book that kills people whose names are written in it. Inevitably, they’re tempted to misuse this power by a demon named Ryuk, who is featured on the film’s extremely edgy new poster.

What would you do if you mysterious notebook fell into your hands and gave you the power to kill anyone? Maybe you’d write the name of a high school enemy or a crappy ex in the notebook just for giggles, then realizing its murderous magic is for real, quickly toss it out the window and run away. But for Light Turner, he decides to use that notebook for all the power it gives him.

From Tilda Swinton in Doctor Strange to Scarlet Johansson in Ghost in the Shell, 2016 has seen a handful of white actors get cast in roles originally depicted as Asian. Whitewashing reached a new high these year, with multiple film and TV projects failing to represent Asian characters, and fans aren’t happy. Social media campaigns and online petitions have sprung up in response calling out Hollywood for continuing to erase Asian faces from screens.

Even more eyebrow-raising news from Warner Bros. following reports that the studio is looking to decrease the number of films they release each year: Death Note, the forthcoming adaptation of the hit Japanese manga, is moving over to Netflix, as the streaming service is in late-stage negotiations to take the project off of WB’s hands.

After delivering two great genre features back to back with the subversive horror flick You’re Next and throwback thriller The Guest, director Adam Wingard definitely has our full attention, regardless of what he does next. His new project is Death Note, based on the popular Japanese manga, with The Leftovers star Margaret Qualley now in talks to join the cast of the U.S. adaptation.

Director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett are keeping pretty busy following their well-received genre features You’re Next and The Guest. Up next, the filmmaking duo are working on a new horror movie called The Woods, and before that project is even wrapped, the pair have already selected their next: Death Note, a live-action feature based on the popular Japanese manga.