Shane Black to direct Death Note for Warner Bros.

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

Back in the spring of last year we brought you the news that Warner Bros. was planning to move ahead with its Americanized version of DEATH NOTE. The popular Japanese manga – which has spawned movies, TV shows and even video games – was to be written by scribes Charley and Vlas Parlapanides (the scribes behind IMMORTALS), but after the initial announcement, news concerning the project dropped off…

Now Deadline is reporting that Shane Black (the writer behind LETHAL WEAPON and THE LAST BOYSCOUT and the director of KISS KISS, BANG BANG) has taken over directorial duties on DEATH NOTE, which he’s also set to write with Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry; the three are also working on a DOC SAVAGE movie.

The story centers on a college student who accidentally finds a misplaced “death note,” infusing him with the power to kill merely by writing anyone’s name on the page while picturing the person in his mind.

Black had this to say: “It’s my favorite manga, I was just struck by its unique and brilliant sensibility. What we want to do is take it back to that manga, and make it closer to what is so complex and truthful about the spirituality of the story, versus taking the concept and trying to copy it as an American thriller.”

No word on when production will move forward, as Black still might direct DOC SAVAGE first. That said, keep it here for more DEATH NOTE news as it comes in.

KISS KISS, BANG BANG star Michelle Monaghan