Lethal Weapon writer Shane Black scrawls an American version of Death Note

LETHAL WEAPON writer Shane Black has been keeping a low profile for the past decade or so, aside from directing his exceptional modern noir KISS KISS BANG BANG.

Now he’s itching to get back behind the camera, and he’s looking to kill some criminals via supernatural means with a version of DEATH NOTE for Warner Bros. The hugely popular manga has spun off into novels, anime and live-action features in its home country of Japan.

The story follows a student named Light Yagami, who finds a mysterious notebook that causes the death of anyone whose name he writes in it. With questionable assistance from a mischievous freaky-looking death god called Ryuk, Light decides to cleanse the world of evil by acting as executioner, which draws the attention of International Police.

Black will direct after overseeing a script from Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry. Black tells Deadline: “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.“

Black has already been working with Bagarozzi and Mondry on adapting pulp hero DOC SAVAGE for Sony, which is still in the works.