Death Note is the upcoming live-action movie adaptation of the classic manga series that is set to premiere on Netflix in August. A first trailer was released in March, and now a new character poster has been tweeted by director Adam Wingard. It shows the demonic Ryuk and takes its inspiration from the film's comic book origins. Check it out below:
Death Note tells the story of a high school student named Light, who comes into possession of a supernatural notebook that allows him to kill anyone whose name he writes into it. Light sets out to rid the world of evil but finds himself relentlessly pursued by a legendary police detective.
It stars Nat Wolff, best known for the hit teen drama The Fault in our Stars, plus Keith Stanfield, Paul Nakauchi, and Shea Whigham. Willem Dafoe will perform the voice of Ryuk. The film hits Netflix on August 25, 2017.
In an interview last year, Wingard assured fans that Death Note would be every bit as graphic as the horror movies he has directed, such as You're Next and The Guest. "We can do whatever we want," he told Collider. "It's an anime film. So, technically, it's a cartoon that you're bringing to life. It was important that you have those adult themes. So, it's got nudity, it's got swearing, it's got a ton of violence."
Death Note ran for 108 issues between 2003 and 2006. These were subsequently collected into 12 graphic novels, which to date have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. There have also been three live-action Japanese films, an anime series, and a number of video games for the Nintendo DS, published by Konami.