Netflix is in negotiations to pick up Adam Wingard’s adaptation of Death Note, which originally set up at Warner Bros. The Wrap reports that the project was about to start production when Warner Bros opted out; the studio is considering making fewer films and has been supportive in letting the project be shopped elsewhere.
Death Note originally started as a Japanese manga magazine series in 2003 written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. It has since been adapted as a television anime series as well as live action films in Japan. The story centers on a student who stumbles upon a supernatural notebook that grants its user the ability to kill anyone simply by writing their name. A police detective begins to catch on and engages in a hot pursuit of the student.
Nat Wolff (Paper Towns) is set to star. Margaret Qualley (The Leftovers) is also on board, and Keith Stanfield (War Machine) is in talks to join the cast. Jeremy Slater (Fantastic Four) wrote the most recent draft of the adaptation. Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Jason Hoffs and Masi Oka will produce. Wingard previously directed the well received cult favorite The Guest (2014).