Netflix’s adaptation of Death Note debuts on the streaming service later this week, and director Adam Wingard is already looking ahead to what might come next within his Americanized vision of the beloved anime.
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“When I first pitched the movie to Netflix, that was my main thing,” the filmmaker told Entertainment Weekly when detailing how, in his eyes, the project was never meant to be a one-and done. “This film is very much an origin story and there’s a lot of different places we can take it. The movie really works as a closed loop. But I think ultimately it is a great property to explore. There’s a lot of things that could happen from here. I would love to [be involved]. I am doing Godzilla vs Kong now, so that’s, like, two-and-a-half-years at least, so it depends on the timing. Depending on when they want to do it, I would definitely be involved in terms of the story and all that kind of stuff.”
Although Wingard sounds vested in turning the film into a series, it will ultimately be up to Netflix as to whether the film, which has been just one of many recent anime adaptations to be lambasted with accusations of white-washing, will continue.
Early reviews have the movie sitting at a 33% on Rotten Tomatoes, but the streaming service doesn’t solely base its renewal decisions on critical reaction. Defenders tie-in Iron Fist, for example, received a sophomore order last month despite an onslaught of extremely critical reviews.
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Arriving Aug. 25 on Netflix, Death Note stars Nat Wolff as Light Turner, Margaret Qualley as Mia Sutton, Keith Stanfield as L, Paul Nakauchi as Watari, Shea Whigham as James Turner and Willem Dafoe as Ryuk.