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The Guest's Adam Wingard to Helm Warners' Live-Action Death Note

posted on by Egan Loo
The Lazarus Effect's Jeremy Slater pens new script; Heroes' Masi Oka to produce

The Hollywood Reporter entertainment news source is reporting on Monday that Adam Wingard (The Guest, You're Next) has signed on to direct Warner Brothers' planned live-action film of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata's Death Note manga. Jeremy Slater (2015's Fantastic Four, The Lazarus Effect) wrote a new draft of the screenplay.

In addition to the critically acclaimed indie thriller films The Guest and You're Next, Wingard also directed shorts for The ABCs of Death and V/H/S anthologies. He will next direct The Woods, a horror film he co-wrote, for Lionsgate this summer.

The Hollywood Reporter added that Vertigo Entertainment's Roy Lee (Dark Water, The Lake House, Shutter), Lin Pictures' Dan Lin (This Side of the Truth, Sherlock Holmes, The Lego Movie), Viz Productions' Jason Hoffs (Edge of Tomorrow), and actor Masi Oka (Heroes, Hawaii Five-0) are producers. Doug Davison (Dark Water, The Grudge, The Lake House) and Brian Witten (Dark City, American History X, Final Destination) are executive producers, and Niija Kuykendall and Nik Mavinkurve are overseeing the project for Warner.

In the original suspense manga, a teenager finds a notebook with which he can put people to death by writing their names and the dictated manners of death. The manga already inspired three live-action films in Japan, a television anime with specials, and a stage musical by Broadway veterans. Viz released the manga, live-action films, anime, and other tie-in projects in North America.

Warner Bros. had acquired the rights to the series from previous rights-holder Vertigo Entertainment in 2009. At the time, screenwriter brothers Vlas and Charles Parlapanides were attached to the project. Shane Black (Iron Man 3) and Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, Milk) were previously linked as directors to the project.


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