Although Hollywood loves adapting anything it can get its hands on, the number of manga adaptations has been surprisingly low. That may change when it comes to Adam Wingard adapting Death Note. Led by rising star Nat Wolff (The Fault in Our Stars), the story of the manga follows a student who happens to discover “a supernatural notebook that allows him to kill anyone simply by writing the victim’s name.” This takes him on a quest to “cleanse the world of evil” as he sees it, which puts him in the crosshairs of a reclusive police detective.

Steve recently spoke to the film’s producer, Roy Lee, at DICE 2016 and got an update on the project. Lee said Wingard “is currently waiting for us to officially greenlight the movie, but we have a cast in place. I think it’s been reported but I don’t remember yet, I’d have to check the site, so I don’t want to say anything yet. But it’s a movie we’re planning on making this year.”


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Image via Viz Media

When asked about the target audience for the film, Lee replied, “It’s definitely for adults. It is zero chance it will be below an R-rating,” and went on to say that the tone of the film “will be one of the first manga adaptations that feels very grounded but still has fantastical elements.” That sounds like something Wingard could definitely nail. Even though his films You’re Next and The Guest don’t have a supernatural element, he knows how to create a heightened reality that keeps audiences captivated.

But will it finally become a reality? Last September we reported that production was scheduled to begin in the spring, and Lee tells us that he’s “fairly confident” that production begins this year. Get those notebooks ready.

Here’s a look at the anime that was based on the manga:


If you missed our other updates from Roy Lee, peruse the links below:

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Image via Magnet Releasing