Death Note (2017 film)
In 2007, the Malaysian newspaper The Star reported that more than ten film companies in the United States had expressed interest in adapting the Death Note franchise. Warner Bros. Pictures acquired the rights for an American remake on the 30th of April 2009, with Charley and Vlas Parlapanides attached as screenwriters. Shane Black was hired to direct the film on the 13th of January 2011, but his version never received final approval due to creative disagreements over changing Light Yagami's background story into one of vengeance instead of justice. Gus Van Sant was rumored to replace Black as director in July 2014, though no official confirmation followed until Adam Wingard took the helm on the 27th of April 2015. Netflix purchased the project from Warner Bros. on the 6th of April 2016, securing a budget between $40 million and $50 million. Production officially began in British Columbia on the 30th of June 2016, where Vancouver doubled as Seattle under the supervision of DN (Canada) Productions, Inc. Atticus Ross and Leopold Ross composed the score for the film.
Nat Wolff was cast in the lead role on the 29th of September 2015, followed by Margaret Qualley joining as the female lead on the 12th of November 2015. LaKeith Stanfield entered the cast in June 2016, while Paul Nakauchi and Shea Whigham were announced on the 30th of June 2016. Willem Dafoe was confirmed to voice the Shinigami Ryuk on the 2nd of August 2016, with Brian Drummond voicing approval citing the casting choice. Early announcements drew accusations of whitewashing similar to other Hollywood productions based on Japanese manga like Dragonball Evolution and Ghost in the Shell. Producers Roy Lee and Dan Lin responded that their vision aimed to introduce the world to this dark masterpiece through diverse talent reflecting universal themes without racial boundaries. Wingard explained that staying 100 percent true to source material caused the project to fall apart, so he focused on what these themes meant to modern day America instead.
In Seattle, Washington, high school senior student Light Turner stumbles upon a mysterious notebook capable of killing anyone whose name is written inside it. He meets Ryuk, a Japanese death god who conducts the killings, and begins using the book to murder criminals including his school bully Kenny Doyle and his mother's murderer Anthony Skomal. Light befriends fellow student Mia Sutton and they work together to rid the world of terrorists under the alias Kira. Enigmatic international detective L deduces that Kira comes from Seattle after investigating mass suicides among FBI agents. Light rejects Mia's request to kill the agents but learns of their bizarre deaths which he blames on Ryuk. James threatens Kira on television and returns unharmed, convincing L that Light is the killer. Later, Light uses the Death Note to force Watari to go to Montauk, New York, where L's true name is hidden at a secret orphanage. Mia sneaks the notebook out before police can find it during a search of Light's house. At the school dance event, Watari contacts Light but gets killed by security guards before revealing L's name. Mia reveals she has written Light's name in the Death Note set to kill him at midnight unless he surrenders the notebook. Light yields and meets her at the Seattle Great Wheel for transfer. Mia wrests the notebook from him only to realize he wrote her name with death contingent on taking it. Ryuk destroys the structure killing Mia and plunging Light into water below.
Death Note received mostly mixed to negative reviews upon its release on the 25th of August 2017. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 36 percent based on 77 reviews with an average score of 4.8 out of 10. Metacritic gave the movie a score of 43 out of 100 indicating mixed or average reception. Jeanette Catsoulis writing for The New York Times described the film as feeling rushed and constricted compared to source material volume while praising Wingard's focus on mood over mayhem. Peter Debruge for Variety felt Wingard took the adaptation toward a Donnie Darko-styled work capturing Western audiences but failing to reckon with how twisted the concept truly is. Brian Tallerico for Rogerebert.com awarded one star stating changes made did not serve artistic purpose nor captured core cat-and-mouse dynamics between protagonists. Director Adam Wingard deleted his Twitter account after receiving backlash from negative reviews. Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata praised the film following both divergence and adherence to original work allowing enjoyment by wider audiences beyond fans.
A few months after release, it was discovered that images of train accident in the movie were real footage from a 2010 collision in Buizingen, Belgium where 19 people died. Both rail operator and survivors criticized this usage as disrespectful to victims. The inclusion of actual disaster imagery raised ethical concerns regarding exploitation of tragedy for cinematic effect without consent from affected families or organizations involved in recovery efforts.
In an interview with Heat Vision, Wingard stated Netflix wanted to make at least two films if first film success merited continuation. Sarandos spoke with Quartz on the 17th of October 2017 mentioning sizable viewership alongside other releases like Naked and To the Bone. On the 22nd of August 2018, The Hollywood Reporter reported a sequel was in development with Greg Russo writing script. Russo revealed on the 20th of April 2021 that sequel would be more faithful to manga than initial adaptation. Oka stated on the 21st of September 2021 that fan criticism of first film would be taken into account during production process ensuring improvements address previous shortcomings while maintaining core narrative integrity expected by original creators and audience alike.
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Common questions
Who directed the Death Note 2017 film?
Adam Wingard directed the Death Note 2017 film after taking over from Shane Black and Gus Van Sant. He took the helm on the 27th of April 2015 following a series of director changes.
When was the Death Note 2017 film released in theaters?
The Death Note 2017 film received mixed to negative reviews upon its release on the 25th of August 2017. Netflix purchased the project from Warner Bros. on the 6th of April 2016 before production began.
What is the plot summary of the Death Note 2017 film?
High school student Light Turner finds a notebook that kills anyone whose name is written inside it and teams up with Mia Sutton to kill criminals under the alias Kira. The story concludes when Mia writes Light's name in the book, causing him to fall into water below the Seattle Great Wheel while she dies from the spell.
How did critics rate the Death Note 2017 movie?
Death Note holds an approval rating of 36 percent based on 77 reviews with an average score of 4.8 out of 10 on Rotten Tomatoes. Metacritic gave the movie a score of 43 out of 100 indicating mixed or average reception.
Why were there ethical concerns about the Death Note 2017 film?
Images of a train accident in the movie were real footage from a 2010 collision in Buizingen, Belgium where 19 people died. Both rail operator and survivors criticized this usage as disrespectful to victims without consent from affected families.