Updates, discussion, events and news about Death Note.
Death Note News
  • News
  • Death Note Month of...
    • Kira Month
    • Matsuda Month
    • Misa Month
    • Naomi Misora Month
    • Wammy Month
  • Death Note Interviews
    • Drew Nelson Interview
    • No Need to Stay Interview
  • Death Note Gifts
    • Death Note Books
    • Death Note Cosplay
    • Death Note DVDs
    • Death Note Music
    • Death Note Accessories
    • Death Note Mugs and Water Bottles
    • Death Note Christmas Gifts >
      • It Matters Death Note Christmas Gifts
    • Character Stores >
      • Death Note Light Yagami Gifts
      • Death Note Matt Gifts
      • Death Note Mello Gifts
      • Death Note Teru Mikami Gifts
      • Death Note Misa Gifts
      • Death Note Naomi Misora Gifts
      • Death Note Wammy Gifts
  • News Summary
    • On This Day in Death Note
  • About
  • Contact
  • News
  • Death Note Month of...
    • Kira Month
    • Matsuda Month
    • Misa Month
    • Naomi Misora Month
    • Wammy Month
  • Death Note Interviews
    • Drew Nelson Interview
    • No Need to Stay Interview
  • Death Note Gifts
    • Death Note Books
    • Death Note Cosplay
    • Death Note DVDs
    • Death Note Music
    • Death Note Accessories
    • Death Note Mugs and Water Bottles
    • Death Note Christmas Gifts >
      • It Matters Death Note Christmas Gifts
    • Character Stores >
      • Death Note Light Yagami Gifts
      • Death Note Matt Gifts
      • Death Note Mello Gifts
      • Death Note Teru Mikami Gifts
      • Death Note Misa Gifts
      • Death Note Naomi Misora Gifts
      • Death Note Wammy Gifts
  • News Summary
    • On This Day in Death Note
  • About
  • Contact

All the latest information about Death Note: reports, gossip, releases, analyses, speculation and discussion.

Death Note news articles

Simon Barrett Won't Be Writing the US Death Note Movie Script - But Adam's Definitely In

11/5/2015

2 Comments

 
Death Note Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett
No light now for Simon's
presumed Death Note
As soon as the news broke that Adam Wingard would be directing the new Death Note movie, his usual scriptwriting partner was besieged by well wishers.

Prematurely, as it turned out.

It was an easy mistake to make. Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett tend to come as a double act. Barrett has penned the script for nearly half of Wingard's sixteen movies - 7 in total - including the one that they're working on right now (The Woods).

When they're not doing the director/writer thing, they're acting together, as in the movie 24 Exposures.  Or doing something randomly appreciated in the background. (Barrett received thanks in the credits of Wingard's Home Sick. It didn't say why.)

In short, it's a bona fide bromance. Where one goes the other generally follows. We might as well imagine Mello without Matt, as Wingard without Barrett. So pretty much everyone presumed that Adam's appointment - as director of the Death Note US live action movie - meant that Simon would be writing the script.

He's not.  He's outed himself as Death Note dumped on Twitter, after returning from a long day's filming on The Woods to find his social media straining under the weight of the fandom. An explosion of Death Note homies rushing to congratulate him on a plumb job snatched and landed.

Except he hasn't. Wingard's doing the big one without him. Poor love.

Image: Simon Barrett Death Note Tweet
~ Death Note Tweet by Simon Barrett on April 27th 2015
Maybe once Adam Wingard has his foot in the door, he'll try to ninja his old friend in.  You never know.  We'll just have to wait and see.

Contrary to the previous situation with Gus van Sant - last director in the frame - we do have some indication that Wingard is genuinely involved in our Death Note US live action film.  No frustrating silence there, he Tweeted a link to Hollywood Reporter article breaking the news; followed Manga US (and Todd Masters - Monster maker. Filmmaker. Creative Dude. - dunno if that is related); then finished up two days later with this lovely message:
Adam Wingard Death Note Tweet April 29th 2015
~ Death Note Tweet by Adam Wingard on April 29th 2015
Awww!  Bless him!  It must be pretty crazy being on the receiving end of all that!  Now as long as he makes the movie and doesn't break our hearts with watered down, moralistic crap - as Warner Bros was mooted to be pushing for under Shane Black's abortive tenure - then we'll continue to enthuse right along with him.

For now, I'm grinning right along in support and assuming that the director of V.H.S., The Guest and You're Next is going to  give us a Death Note that is suitably dark. 

(Or, at this stage, is it down to just 'give us a Death Note' in live action form?  Considers how bad that could possibly be given a Disney-esque filter or a non-ambiguous good guy/bad guy, black and white lens... No, I'd rather do without, if the only shades of grey allowed in Hollywood these days are the obligatory fifty of Christian's whip.)

Though with Simon Barrett's potential script already lost from the running, we can only assume that Adam Wingard will be working from the one already written and erstwhile gathering dust on the table. The original (give or take a dozen drafts and rewrites to date) penned by Anthony Bagarozzi and Chuck Mondry, based on an earlier version - vetoed by Warner Bros - by Charley and Vlas Parlapanides.

Excepting Charley, all three are still listed by IMDb as the US Death Note scriptwriters, but they've since been joined by Fantastic Four screenplay writer Jeremy Slater. He was also responsible for The Lazarus Effect.

In short, is this still the script turned down by Shane Black as being too ridiculous to contemplate?  Or has Slater reinserted the Shinigami and returned Light to being the God of this New (or in our case, quite old and familiar now) World?  I guess time will tell whether we'll be pleased, or sobbing over could have beens before a silver screen resolutely not listing Simon Barrett's credit.

2 Comments

Death Note the Movie is Back On! Adam Wingard to Direct

28/4/2015

4 Comments

 

Anybody getting deja vu?  After all that talk of Shane Black, then Gus van Sant directing the long awaited US Death Note movie, we now have a third announcement.

Adam Wingard (The Guest, You're Next, V/H/S (1 and 2)) is set to direct Death Note, according to an exclusive at The Hollywood Reporter (April 27th 2015).

However, it won't be immediately. He's still got The Woods to film and get out first.


Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Jason Offs and Masi Oka are mooted to be Death Note's US producers.

With Adam Wingard at the helm, we're probably looking at a Hollywood version of Death Note which focuses totally upon the horror.  At this point in time, I'm not nearly so buzzed as I was when I thought Gus van Sant would be giving us an adaptation. This feels more gore than drama, but then I could be very wrong.

Whatever happens, it seems that Death Note is becoming big news again. Two theatrical performances; a television show with new story-lines; and now we have the practically mythical Death Note US movie popping back into existence.

Anyone else have thoughts on this?
The Hollywood Reporter Death Note movie story

Adam Wingard exclusive on The Hollywood Reporter (27th April 2015)
4 Comments

Breaking News: US Death Note Movie on Hold? No! Status Updated Mid-Blog!

29/11/2014

0 Comments

 
This is a fast changing story. I was writing this blog entry, took the screenshot, wrote three more lines, refreshed... and the situation had changed! See the ending for the latest Death Note film news from the US.

Original Blog:

It's hardly like it was ever moving in the first place, but Logan has spotted something even more disturbing than usual.

Until October 28th 2014, the IMDb status listing for the US live action Death Note film seemed to be permanently set to 'script'.  Then, on that date, it was changed to 'unknown'.

Screenshot as it looks at the moment:
IMDb Death Note US live action movie Oct 2104 update
Death Note: Internet Movie Database
November 28th 2014.
None of us know who updated it. It might be a random contributor. It might be Warner Bros finally giving up.

But suddenly the Death Note movie seems much further away. 

What's everyone's thoughts on this?  And once again, thanks for being on the ball with all the Death Note news, Logan.

When Suddenly...

I'm in the habit of refreshing webpages, if they've sat for a while. I think IMDb does it automatically too.

Hence I finished writing the above and, as a last minute check that I hadn't missed anything else that I might tell you, I refreshed the page. The status had changed again in the minute or less since I took the above screenshot.

It now looks like this:
Death Note US movie Nov 2014 update
Death Note: Internet Movie Database
November 28th 2014.
There's most definitely something wrong with the website's internal calendar, as I've just this second watched it change!

On both occasions, the only thing that altered was the status. Its return to 'script' makes this Death Note news pretty much a non-story, unless that flip-flopping reflects some movement behind closed doors.  In which case things just became a little more exciting.

Or it could be IMDb's contributor check in action. Whereon it's all merely admin stuff and nothing to concern us at all.

NOW what are your thoughts on this?!
0 Comments

Is There Finally Confirmation of Gus Van Sant Directing the Death Note Movie? Nope.

13/11/2014

0 Comments

 
Film
I got so excited when I glimpsed the headline.

Gus Van Sant to Helm American Adaptation of Hit Anime Series Produced by Warner Bros. were the words emblazoned across my computer screen, courtesy of my alert feed.

I immediately high tailed it over to Cross Map, clicking the link with a type of frenzied movement usually reserved for twitch played boss fights.

I thought that writer Claire Taylor was onto something - confirmation or information relating to that hallowed Grail of current Death Note gossip, is Gus van Sant definitely doing the movie? Moreover, when? In what manner? And who's being cast?!

But apparently not.

While we were all rushing to repeat The Tracking Board's strong rumor - about Gus van Sant directing the US Death Note live action movie - back in July, Claire and Cross Map have only just noticed it's a thing.

False alarm then. *sigh*  Though it was a lovely feeling to think for a moment there that we were actually moving on this.

As soon as I catch wind of anything, you'll be the first to know.  (Forget about the blog, you'll probably hear my shriek from there. Wherever you are.)

0 Comments

Why Did Shane Black Leave Death Note?

8/8/2014

9 Comments

 
Shane Black Death Note director
Shane Black
Until Warner Bros. gives us an official announcement, we can't categorically say that director Shane Black has walked away from the Death Note live action movie adaptation.

Even if IMDb, and half of the internet, lists Gus van Sant as Death Note director now.

However that hasn't stopped people from speculating about the switch. Most simply point out that Shane Black's star has risen into the stratosphere, since he first agreed to direct the US film adaptation of Death Note. 

It was right there when he just had Iron Man 3 to do, then he had that choice between Doc Savage and Death Note. He opted for the former. But suddenly more and more have bee piled onto his directorial plate.  He's doing The Nice Guys and he's been linked with the latest Predator sequel.

It might be that he no longer has the time to direct Death Note. Or Warner Bros. got sick of waiting for him to be free. Even if Shane Black was at the helm, we wouldn't see a Death Note US movie for several more years to come.
Adrián Lavado, a writer with the Spanish e-magazine eCartelera, has gone one further than that. He wrote that Shane Black 'hacer una historia de venganza en vez de justicia y eliminar a los personajes conocidos como shinigami.' (Shane Black 'wanted a story about revenge, rather than justice, and to eliminate the shinigamis.')

The above led to irreconcilable differences between the director and Warner Bros., which ultimately resulted in a parting of ways.

This half chimes with what Shane Black told Long Beach Comic Con back in October 2011. Then he revealed long-running disagreements over the direction of the Death Note story.  He wanted an adaptation that was faithful to the manga, but Warner Bros. kept pushing for one that was morally black and white, with Kira more the flawed anti-hero than anyone who could be considered 'evil'. 

Every one of Yagami's actions had to be justified within the pursuit of justice; and the 'demon' shinigamis had to go.  It was Shane who fought for none of that to happen.

My reading of the situation is that Lavado has switched the views of Shane Black and Warner Bros.  What do you think?

 - And muchas gracias to Álvaro for alerting me to the Spanish language report.

9 Comments

IMDb: Danny Elfman to Compose Music for US Death Note Movie Adaptation

21/7/2014

0 Comments

 
Danny ElfmanDanny Elfman
Photography by The Kuhnster, 2010
You don't need to be L to have seen this one coming. If Gus van Sant is going to be directing the new Death Note live action movie, then it was inevitable that Danny Elfman would do the music.

He composes the music for ALL of Gus van Sant's films.

However, we do have to insert a small note of caution. Danny's involvement has still not been officially announced. He's merely turned up on IMDb's cast and crew list for the Death Note film.  That might just be an extrapolation from the knowledge that Gus van Sant is strongly tipped to take over as director.

Even if you think you don't any of Danny Elfman's music, you do. He's been involved in some of the biggest movies and TV shows over the past three decades.  The Simpsons, Good Will Hunting, Ghostbusters II, the 1989 Batman movies, Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Epic, Alice in Wonderland, Milk, The Corpse Bride... need I go on?

In fact, have a gander at this lot and tell me from where you know him. I guarantee there will be something!


Movies with music by Danny Elfman

Music of Danny Elfman
Film Music of Danny Elfman

Film Music of Danny Elfman
As for whether Danny Elfman could credibly compose music for Death Note, various fans have already answered that one. Like YouTuber My Space, who used Danny's The Little Things from Wanted to provide an AMV tribute to Light Yagami.

He's long since been my composer of choice for this project anyway. So I'm thrilled with the strong possibility that Danny Elfman is now on board with Death Note.
0 Comments

Amazon Owned IMDb Lists Gus van Sant as Death Note Director

18/7/2014

1 Comment

 
Death Note IMDb
It hardly counts as an official announcement, but one feels just that little bit closer.

Until now, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has retained Shane Black's name as the director linked with Death Note the movie. Suddenly, overnight, he's been replaced by Gus van Sant.

The best we can really say about this is IMDb's administrative team believe the gossip be true. So what do they know that we do not?  It's not like they've jumped the gun too quickly either.

For just over a week - since The Tracking Board broke the rumour on July 10th 2014 - news sources and blogs have been filled with people like me passing on the information: Gus van Sant strongly tipped to replace Shane Black as Death Note's director. Yet IMDb didn't budge. For eight full days, the site still had the director listed as that last officially acknowledged - Shane Black.

So what changed for them? What made it much more likely to be occurring?

IMDb isn't Warner Bros. There still hasn't been an authoritative update on the site since April 23rd 2014. But IMDb is Amazon. Surely a company that big has its contacts in Hollywood...

Like I said, nothing here is official. But it sure feels much more like it is.



1 Comment

Death Note Movie: Shane Black Out; Gus van Sant on Board as New Director!

9/7/2014

8 Comments

 
Director Gus van Sant
There's finally news about the Death Note movie!  Just a couple of weeks after I did the round up about the information so far, there's something actually new to add.

After all this talk of Shane Black's excitement and defense of the Death Note film, it seems that he's now been ousted as director. The Tracking Board has reported that Gus van Sant has taken up the reins instead.

Gus van Sant is most famous for his movies Good Will Hunting and Milk. Coincidentally, I watched Milk just recently and raved about it with everyone that I know. It certainly promises that the director will find the depths in Death Note.

As far as I can currently ascertain, the script produced by Shane Black, Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry is still that on the table. I do hope so, because otherwise Warner might push for their alternative script, where Light was the good guy with a poor upbringing/trauma leading to his dodgy choices.

However, there is hope in that he remade Psycho once, and did that practically shot by shot identical to the original black and white one.

I've just realised that he was also the director of My Own Private Idaho. Huge grin here. That's one of my favourite films of all time!  I'm definitely feeling good about him doing Death Note.

According to Gus van Sant's profile on IMDb, there are some trademark things that we can therefore expect for the Death Note movie too:


  • Music by Danny Elfman (works for me!)
  • Casting Matt Dillon, Matt Damon, Keanu Reeves, James Remar and/or Grace Zabriskie (time for us to start picking out roles for them)
  • Arty shots of cloud formations (possibly when the Death Note falls to Earth?)
  • End credits over home video footage (... Yagami household when the kids were little?)

More as soon as I know it!

8 Comments
    Death Note spoiler disclaimer
    Never miss an update - subscribe to Death Note News feed and/or check out an extended list of the latest Death Note news headlines.
    Death Note News categories banner

    Death Note News Categories

    All
    10th Anniversary
    10th Anniversary Website
    Academia
    Actors And Acting
    Adam Wingard (Dir.)
    Aiber
    Akiko-himura
    Ami-hamazaki
    Another-note
    Another-note-novel
    Anthony-rester
    Art And Fan Art
    Astrology
    Bakuman
    Beyond Birthday
    Blood Type
    Business And Marketing
    Calendar Death Note
    Columnists For Death Note News
    Cosplay
    Death Note (2003-6 Manga)
    Death Note (2006-7 Anime)
    Death Note (2006 Movie)
    Death Note (2008 Manga One Shot Special)
    Death Note (2015 Musical)
    Death Note (2015 TV)
    Death Note (2016 Movie AMG)
    Death Note (2017 US Movie)
    Death Note: Light Up The NEW World (2016 Movie)
    Death Note Month Of...
    Death Note News Digest
    Death Note Relight (2007-2008)
    Death Note Relight (2007-8)
    Death Note Relight (2007-8 Anime)
    Death Note Tarot Tales
    Death Note: The Last Name (2006 Movie)
    Death Note: Year One (Movie)
    Demegawa (Hitoshi) (Char.)
    Dr.
    Eriko Aizawa
    Events
    Fan Fiction
    Fans And Fandom
    Focus On A Fan
    Food And Drink
    Franchise
    Games And Gaming
    Gifts And Merchandising
    Gus Van Sant
    Hal-lidner
    Hirokaku-ukita-char
    Horipro
    It Matters Series
    Jump-comics
    Kanzo-mogi
    Kenichi Mikuriya
    Kimiko-kujo
    Kira Worshipper
    Kiyomi Takada
    Koji-yoshida
    L
    Lawliet-movie
    L-change-the-world-2008-movie
    L-change-the-world-novel
    Lei-k-columnist
    Light Yagami
    Linda
    Lucas-king-music-columnist
    Madhouse
    Maki-nikaido
    Manga Entertainment
    Matt
    Mello
    Misa Amane
    Morality-and-ethics
    Movies And Films
    Mrs-mikami
    Music And Soundtracks
    Naomi-misora
    Nathaniel-overthinks-death-note
    Near
    Netflix
    Nippon-television-ntv
    NisiOisiN
    Nori
    Panini-comics
    Philosophy And Theology
    Platinum-end
    Podcast
    Psychology
    Quillsh-wammy
    Real-world-death-notes
    Real World Influence
    Rem
    Rod-ross
    Roger Ruvie
    Ryuk
    Ryūzaki
    Sachiko Yagami
    Sakura Aoi (Char.)
    Sayu Yagami
    Science And Mathematics
    Selecta Visión
    Shane Black
    Shinsuke Sato (Dir.)
    Shiori Akino
    Shō Nanase
    Shō Nanase
    Shonen Jump
    Shueisha
    Shuichi Aizawa
    Site News
    Sociology
    Soichiro Yagami
    Spin-Off Matsuda (2008 Movie)
    SPK
    Squad Six Cosplayers
    Takeshi Obata (Artist)
    Takeshi Ooi (Char.)
    Teru Mikami
    Tetsuro Araki (Dir.)
    The Cosplayer Chronicles
    Toko
    Touta Matsuda
    Tsugumi Ohba (Author)
    Tsukuru Mishima
    Viz Media
    Wammy's House
    Warner Bros
    Wedy
    Yotsuba
    YouTube And Videos
    Yūgi Shion
    Yumi Aizawa
    Yuri

    Visit Death Note News's profile on Pinterest.

    Monthly Archives

    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

    Disclosure: This page generates income for the author based on affiliate relationships with her partners, including Amazon and VigLink.
    Site Claim and Authorship Verification: All that follows is for me to prove my authorship of Death Note News in various places. Hoop jumping stuff for me; boring for everyone else.
    Google+
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.