I was looking forward to checking out director Adam Wingard's Netflix original movie DEATH NOTE last year (or was it only earlier this year?). But then the movie hit with a resounding thud. I watched it without ever seeing any of the mangas it was based on and found the film to be like a feature-length trailer.
But it seems as if the film was a "sizable" success for Netflix and the streaming service is all ready to tear another page from the book as a recent THR article revealed:
Among properties it already owns, Netflix is developing a sequel to 2017's horror-thriller Death Note, which Sarandos has called a "sizable" success, with Greg Russo writing the script.
Best I can figure, the Gregg Russo screenwriter they mention is the man behind the upcoming reboots of RESIDENT EVIL and MORTAL KOMBAT. It's bee a while since we've heard of either of those high-profile projects, so I guess we'll have to wait and see if DEATH NOTE 2 falls into the same circle of development Hell.
Are you excited about the idea of DEATH NOTE 2? Let us know below! The original film was written by Jeremy Slater and Charley & Vlas Parlapanides and follows
A high-schooler named Light who finds a mysterious book called Death Note that allows him to kill whoever's name is entered into its pages. Goaded on by a demon only he can see, Light is determined to rid the world of people who don't deserve to live, but his reign of justice may end prematurely thanks to a brilliant investigator.
There's no word on if director Adam Wingard will return as he's currently working on GODZILLA VS KONG but he did say this a few months back:
Wingard on DEATH NOTE 2:
At the end of the day, there are a lot of places to explore where to take Light. And ultimately the series is sort of about almost his downfall as a character. This is sort of the beginning of it or the origin of it. There are definitely lots of places to go, and we know generally where we would take it. Hopefully, people will watch it and Netflix will order a sequel. They definitely are ready to. They just need people to watch it.
We kept it open as a sequel. When I went to Netflix initially, I pitched it as at least a two-film series, maybe three, knowing this was the origin story. We definitely designed the film so it plays a closed loop. Sequels are never guaranteed. They have to be earned. On some level, I really love that the movie ends with all the characters damaged. It's such an unconventional ending for any kind of comic book film, and I really like that.
DEATH NOTE is streaming now on Netflix.