Not a lot of people are happy with the ‘whitewashing’ of the cast of Netflix’s ‘Death Note‘. Surprisingly, though, I am completely unaffected by it. I think this is because I have a different mindset on it than some of the other people out there.
For starters, there already is a Japanese movie version of ‘Death Note’ anyway, so it’s not like this will be the first movie version of the series. Also, as with a lot of Asian horror movies, I feel like they simply want to give this a Westernized twist. I don’t think that they’re going to have the cast members pretend they’re Japanese. Heck, the movie isn’t even set in Japan (it’s set in Seattle). In fact, the only thing that I see wrong with the trailer is the graffiti of “Justice for Kira” on the wall because… if it’s set in the States, why are they still calling him ‘Kira’? But maybe they’ll explain that in the movie itself. More than anything, I’m just excited to see what Netflix will come up with for this original movie of theirs.
It has to be said that I was practically OBSESSED with the animated series of ‘Death Note’ back in the day. I was absolutely enthralled by Light’s mind and stuck by him every step of the way. I loved seeing how Light would think, how he would get himself out of every situation, wondering if he would be able to get out of every situation; and the twists and the turns kept me on the edge of my seat. I found the story compelling and the characters unforgettable, and I watched it at a good time – when I was in college and the most popular show was ‘Gossip Girl’. I needed something better back then – something that would get my mind churning and make my brain happy, and ‘Death Note’ did a good job at that.
Well, Netflix has recently released its first teaser trailer and the cast is making me super happy at the moment. Here are the main cast members next to their animated counterparts:
Nat Wolff as Light
I have been a huge fan of Nat Wolff since ‘Stuck in Love’ and I’m sure he wont’ disappoint in this, either (though I’m not too sure how I feel about him having bleached hair – was that really necessary?).
Margaret Qualley as Mia
I don’t know much about Margaret Qualley, but she looks pretty.
Keith Stanfield as L.
It will be interesting to see this completely new version of L. I just hope he has the same weird quirks as the animated version and completely owns the character.
Willem Dafoe as Ryuk
Although Willem Dafoe will merely voice Ryuk and you won’t actually see his face, hearing his voice as Ryuk at the end of the trailer sent chills up and down my spine. Perfect choice in my opinion!
Netflix has been doing a great job at coming up with original series and movies lately, and I hope ‘Death Note’ will be just as great. Were you a fan of the series, too? Geek out with me! 😀
