Netflix's "Death Note" Movie Begins Production

[CBR News]

Starring Nat Wolff, Margaret Qualley and Keith Stanfield, the adaptation of the hit manga will premiere next year.


Full article here.

[Ceebiro]

Love that excuse for not using a core Japanese cast.

[GDC3]

There's always this to look forward to:

[simbob4000]

Love that excuse for not using a core Japanese cast.

What's the excuse: That it's an American movie, and there's already going to be four of these with a Japanese cast?

[VivaChiba]

Ive neither read the comics nor seen the Japanese film, but I was curious to see how many people were griping about the lead not being Asian (even though the blonde white girl in the comics was played by a Japanese girl in the film yet nobody said anything)... and I guess the simple solution is that online campaigners of social justice don't much care, as long as it's a black person replacing the Asian, and not a white one.

[Ceebiro]

What's the excuse: That it's an American movie, and there's already going to be four of these with a Japanese cast?

If it wasn't an excuse they wouldn't have made the statement preemptively. That there are multiple films targeted towards a primarily Japanese market doesn't mean they can't or shouldn't use an Asian or Asian-American principal actors for a film that's being geared towards a broader audience.

[Basara]

They have a lot of work to do to make it as good as the 2006 live action films, which I thought was the best interpretation of Death Note because the resolutions of Light's conflicts with both Naomi and L made much more sense than in the anime or manga. Cutting out the Near and Mello storylines were the best things the first two live action films did.

The way I see it, we might get a good film, but one that is inferior to the original in minute ways, much like the US adaptations of "The Ring" and "Let the Right One In". Likely though, it will be bland and terrible compared to the Japanese live action films.

[zhris]

The way I see it, we might get a good film, but one that is inferior to the original in minute ways, much like the US adaptations of "The Ring" and "Let the Right One In". Likely though, it will be bland and terrible compared to the Japanese live action films.

The difference between Ring and Ringu is like the difference between enjoying a fine wine and getting hit in the face with a poop covered flaming baseball bat. Nothing minute about it.

[kalorama]

If it wasn't an excuse they wouldn't have made the statement preemptively. That there are multiple films targeted towards a primarily Japanese market doesn't mean they can't or shouldn't use an Asian or Asian-American principal actors for a film that's being geared towards a broader audience.

They made the statement preemptively because they knew people were going to bitch about it. So why not just get it out of the way early? And while there's no reason they couldn't use an Asian American cast, there's really no particular reason why they should use one either. And in the absence of any particular reason why they should do it, then there's really not much basis for substantive complaint about them not doing it.

If people want to whine because they'd have preferred an Asian cast, then that's one thing. But whining because they think the studio committed some kind of racist transgression by not using an Asian cast is a swing and a miss, really.

[Tasty_Chaos]

Ive neither read the comics nor seen the Japanese film, but I was curious to see how many people were griping about the lead not being Asian (even though the blonde white girl in the comics was played by a Japanese girl in the film yet nobody said anything)... and I guess the simple solution is that online campaigners of social justice don't much care, as long as it's a black person replacing the Asian, and not a white one.

I don't usually post and I definitely don't want to be the "Um...actually" person but this really jumped out at me. That character is named Misa Amane. She's a Japanese pop idol/model with dyed hair. All of the characters in Death Note are Japanese unless specially stated in-universe so why was it a problem to cast her with a Japanese actress?

Also, just because this is an American movie doesn't mean the cast has to be white. There are Japanese-American actors, born and raised in the USA, desperate for roles and not getting a chance because of casting practices like this. "American" does not equal "White."

[Warmonger]

I don't usually post and I definitely don't want to be the "Um...actually" person but this really jumped out at me. That character is named Misa Amane. She's a Japanese pop idol/model with dyed hair. All of the characters in Death Note are Japanese unless specially stated in-universe so why was it a problem to cast her with a Japanese actress?

Also, just because this is an American movie doesn't mean the cast has to be white. There are Japanese-American actors, born and raised in the USA, desperate for roles and not getting a chance because of casting practices like this. "American" does not equal "White."

Who cares?

A shitload of characters in anime/manga are supposed to be white anyway. It's that anime art style that makes everyone look Japanese.

Aren't the majority of the characters in a show like Attack on Titan supposed to be European? Yet they all look Japanese.

[Dr. Skeleton]

I'm a huge Death Note fan. Loved the series and the live-action Japanese movies. I hope they do this version justice, as least with Ryuk.

[VivaChiba]

Who cares?

A shitload of characters in anime/manga are supposed to be white anyway. It's that anime art style that makes everyone look Japanese.

Aren't the majority of the characters in a show like Attack on Titan supposed to be European? Yet they all look Japanese.

Now this I have seen, and - if memory serves correctly - there's only one Japanese character (the main female lead). In fact, there was a comment made at some point about there being all kinds of races before the titans all-but killed humanity off.
Still, in the Japanese live-action, nobody batted an eyelid about the fact that the cast was all the same race, because it was a Japanese film, with Japanese dialogue and Japanese actors.
In this day and age, creative freedom and interpretation, unfortunately, have to take a back seat to all this "United Colours of Benneton" bullsh*t that online whiners kick up such a stink about.

[nightrider]

yucks. L doesn't even look remotely like his anime counterpart. Light looks way too tweenie. The other casting are fine, but two of the most important casting are totally wrong.

[Warmonger]

Now this I have seen, and - if memory serves correctly - there's only one Japanese character (the main female lead). In fact, there was a comment made at some point about there being all kinds of races before the titans all-but killed humanity off.
Still, in the Japanese live-action, nobody batted an eyelid about the fact that the cast was all the same race, because it was a Japanese film, with Japanese dialogue and Japanese actors.
In this day and age, creative freedom and interpretation, unfortunately, have to take a back seat to all this "United Colours of Benneton" bullsh*t that online whiners kick up such a stink about.

Pretty much