The First Teaser for Netflix's 'Death Note' Is Finally Here
"Shall we begin?"
The first official teaser for Adam Wingard and Netflix’s highly anticipated Death Note movie has finally arrived, along with a release date. The film is the American adaptation of the popular Japanese manga of the same name written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. Starring Nat Wolff as Light Turner (named Light Yagami in the original manga), Death Note will follow the story of Light finding a Death Note, which is a mystical notebook that kills anyone whose name is written inside it.
The trailer opens with the Death Note falling from the sky. Light, mystified, brings the Death Note home and reads the first rule aloud: “The human whose name is written in this note shall die.”
What ensues is a heart-pounding adventure story as Light dives into full megalomaniac mode, becoming thoroughly obsessed with his mission to rid the world of those he deems unworthy of life. In the manga, Light targets criminals so he can purge the world of evil, so it’s easy to assume Wingard’s story will follow the same general plot.
In the manga, Light’s criminal actions prompt the world’s criminal justice organizations to name him “Kira” (the English word “killer” mispronounced in a Japanese accent), and hire a mysterious detective known only as “L” to track him down. L will be portrayed by Lakeith Stanfield.
If you look closely, you can kind of see Ryuk in the background.
Oh, and there’s also the casual presence of Ryuk, the original owner of the Death Note. Ryuk is a Shinigami, a Japanese death god, and he’s the one who drops his Death Note at Light’s feet. The teaser doesn’t give audiences a full look at Ryuk (voiced by Willem Dafoe), but he certainly does seem eager to get started.
Death Note premieres on Netflix August 25.
