One of the most common criticisms of Netflix's Death Note movie is that it tries to cram too much into a fairly short running time. According to director Adam Wingard and producer Masi Oka, however, the intention wasn't to adapt the original manga as much as tell the story of Light before he gets to the place the manga shows him in.
Tagged With adam wingard
Choosing Willem Dafoe to voice shinigami Ryuk -- basically a spirit of death -- was applauded as one of the better casting decisions in Netflix's Death Note. Director Adam Wingard told us that, while Dafoe was his first pick among actors, he originally wanted to go with a glamorous singer for the part.
Video: We were already looking forward to the new movie from Adam Wingard (The Guest, You're Next) when it was called The Woods, and we had no idea it would be a sequel to The Blair Witch Project. Now we can barely contain ourselves waiting for its release, especially since each new trailer looks scarier than the last.
On one hand, casting Willem Dafoe as the voice of Ryuk the shinigami (probably best translated as "death spirit") in Death Note is great. On the other hand, Netflix's live-action US adaptation of the hit manga and anime is missing out on big savings by not just using Dafoe's actual, terrifying face in the film.
Last week at San Diego Comic-Con, I was privileged to be in the one audience ever that thought they were seeing a movie called The Woods, but ended up seeing the third Blair Witch film. It was a shocking, awesome reveal that was long planned by the studio. And the best part was that the movie is good -- and very, very scary.
Director Adam Wingard has been one to watch for years, with works like cult horror You're Next and thriller The Guest, which boldly cast Downton Abbey heartthrob Dan Stevens way against type as a psychopath. His next film may reach an even bigger audience, now that it's likely headed to Netflix instead of theatres.