Adam Wingard promises Death Note will have nudity & “a ton of violence”

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Anime is becoming more and more mainstream in American society as popular cartoons like POKEMON, GHOST IN THE SHELL and AKIRA are all getting live-action treatments (though the latter has experienced its ups and downs). The fan base behind anime is so dedicated that messing these up would mean a death sentence for those responsible. Luckily, that probably won't happen in the case of one upcoming adaptation.

During an interview with Collider, DEATH NOTE helmer Adam Wingard talked about how working on a movie for Netflix will affect all the fun stuff in the movie, namely, sex, blood, and more blood:

“We can do whatever we want. That was the cool thing about it, because it’s an anime film. So, technically, it’s a cartoon that you’re bring to life. To me, the thing about anime is that it’s so adult-oriented. I remember going to Suncoast growing up and you see Akira there with the little “Not for Kids” sticker on it. That always made an impact on me. So, doing my first live-action anime thing, to me 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. Jason Eisener, who did Hobo with a Shotgun. I brought him on – I’m good friends with him – as second-unit director. There’s basically like three good Jason Eisner short films in there and they’re all very gory. I was able to just turn him loose sometime, and just do some crazy stuff.”

Being independent of any ratings board, Netflix, like HBO, basically has the power to do whatever the hell it wants. That's why comic book-based shows, like DAREDEVIL and JESSICA JONES, can dole-out the sex and violence with as much carefree spirit as a bird soaring on a clear summer day. So, the company seems like a perfect fit for a story like DEATH NOTE, a series that has been banned in areas of China (and was attempted to be banned in New Mexico), and, you know, has "death" in the title.

Though I haven't seen the anime or read the manga, people who I've talked to have given me the impression that this story is pretty intense, leading me to believe that Wingard's words will give fans plenty of comfort. There have been several live action adaptations of the series in Japan, so how the American film will please die-hard fans who have seen those has yet to been seen. But, seriously, nudity and violence! Clearly it's going to be great.

DEATH NOTE will be out on Netflix sometime in 2017, while Wingard's new movie, BLAIR WITCH is in theaters now.