Anime Fan Cast Fun: Death Note American Remake

[Chancey289]

If any anime adaption could translate to the big screen well and seamlessly to the western well then I couldn't think of a better choice than Death Note. It's a story that can pretty much take place anywhere in the world and still stay faithful to the source material. Japan has made a decent live action adaption and also took some creative liberties that even surpassed the original source material.

I don't care what you people say but the ending for the live action films are basically how it SHOULD HAVE ENDED. Better than both the anime and manga no question. It should have always ended between Light and L.

With this American remake confirmed I thought I'd play around with some fan casting options. So here we go.

Light Yagami (my western name suggestion for the hell of it could be something like Luke)
Option 1: Zac Efron

CALM THE EFF DOWN AND HEAR ME OUT FOR A MINUTE!
Now, I know this rumor is taboo but I think this guy is unfairly criticized when it came to this because all that ever came up was High School Musical. That's not the only thing he has done. He has expanded his acting range and shown that he's capable of doing dramatic roles. Zac is the dude who needs to shed that Disney skin completely in order to be taken a little more seriously because there's potential there. Maybe playing a darker character such as Light will help out with that and not to mention he also is an AVID FAN OF THE SOURCE MATERIAL. He knows who Light is. He loves Death Note and expresses personal interest in the project.

All I'm saying is I'm willing to give this a chance.

Option 2:Alex Russell

He's a newcomer best known for his role in Chronicle playing Matt. Chronicle was a flick that surprised the hell outta me and was one of my favorite films of that year. Featuring some new great and young talent, why not really?

Option 3: Tom Welling from Smallville fame?

L: Cilian Murphy

Personally I think for L it's a dead ringer. L is not supposed to be Japanese. He's a rather Lanky dude and also not really supposed to be attractive. Get a little bit of make up on him and make him look a tad sickly and I'm telling you this is like perfect casting. He's a pretty good actor and I can see this happening.

Misa Amane: Olivia Thirlby

She's a young and also rather talented actor. She's played in oscar winning films like Juno and was the blond girl in the awesome and overlooked Dredd. (Seriously, Dredd was awesome and you people should like totally watch it so we can get a goddamn sequel) Ditzy energetic blond pop star, check.

Soichiro Yagami:Gary Oldman

I can't quite put my finger on it but like, I think he totally could play Light's dad. I don't know why. I just have a feeling.

Ryuk: Voice: Same guy from the anime
Motion capture actor: Andy Serkis (duh).

Rem: Voice same person from anime but if on the off chance it would have to be someone different then Sigourney Weaver.


Add whatever suggestion and feedback you want. Keep it civil and cool guys.

 

[ROCKMAN X]

"american death note"

 

[Chancey289]

I think it should be left alone.
Japan made a great anime, manga, live action, so western hands should leave it alone.

Japan made a decent one. The first film was ok but actually rather boring. The second film was the better one and like I said how it always should have ended. The L spin off was another boring romp that could have been so much better especially since the novel of the same name was also almost completely different and superior in like every way.

Not trying to shoehorn Near and actually having plot elements that made more sense and being also nowhere near as boring I highly recommend the novel. Also exploring L as a character in scenes I won't spoil was actually rather brilliant.

As far as I'm concerned the only good anime adaption from Japan that I've seen is Rurouni Kenshin. Everything else either sucks or just gets a decent grade at best. I really don't see a problem. I'm just hoping for a better movie which can happen.

Word is Shane Black might be directing. He did Kiss Kiss Bang Bang with Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kimer which is great. He also wrote movies like Lethal Weapon and Predator and if like, you don't like those movies then you probably have problems.

 

[Chancey289]

And Death Note shouldn't differ from a change of setting. You can still have the same exact damn story and just put it in a big city like New York or something instead of Tokyo. See? Not hard at freaking all.

All this internet rage of adaptions is pretty much hackneyed at this point and just as a big movie fan I would rather be on the side that's just hoping for a good and entertaining flick to watch.

I'm an avid anime fan but, I don't just watch anime. I watch entertainment from all corners of the world. From movies to television shows, I don't hold this weird cultural bias and act like one form is superior to the other. You have hits and misses and good and bad all over the world.

And when it comes to foreign remakes the west is NOT the only ones who do this. It goes the other way around just as often. So I'm willing to be optimistic as a fan of Death Note and cinema in general.

 

[Chancey289]

Fan casting is fun. I might come back later with an Akira one since that project is moving forward and Akira being in my favorite movie list.

 

[Chancey289]

Plus there's something we need to always remember about remakes, you will always have the original. A remake does not magically taint the original film.

As much as I'm skeptical and cautious about the remake of Oldboy coming out this year I will still have the original Korean film always there waiting for me and still being one of my favorite films of all time. A remake will never change that.

 

[Chancey289]

No. They do not taint the originals whatsoever. And I know of those older movies. I have the original House on Haunted Hill. Your logic is just wrong. The Fast and The Furious isn't a remake of the 50s The Fast and The Furious.

The Fast and The Furious is a remake of this.

SAME. EXACT. GODDAMN. PLOT.
Point Break:
Keanu Reeves plays a FBI agent who goes undercover to infiltrate a group of surfers suspected of robbing banks.

The Fast and The Furious:
Paul Walker plays a FBI agent who goes undercover to infiltrate a group of street racers suspected of robbing electronic trucks.

Sounds familiar.

No. You're not making any sense whatsoever and what I said still stands. Remakes will never taint the original. It will always be there. If someone just doesn't know something is actually a remake then they just don't know. It doesn't mean that recognition or something was taken from the original source especially if we're talking about a film that's decades old.

You're just sounding silly. I bet you have seen films without knowledge that they are actually remakes. There are A LOT films, some that are even considered classics, that are simply remakes.

 

[Chancey289]

And the thing is Japan didn't make a great Death Note film series. The 2nd film is the only one that actually gets the good rating because they kinda also just f@cked up the other ones in the franchise.

I don't know why anime fans wanna ride the Japanese train when it comes to anime adaptions because they are pretty sh!t at it ok. Japan has made a good bit of crappy anime movies.

The only one the US did really was Dragonball Evolution and seriously, the reason why that movie was bad WASN'T because it was made here in the US. And still I can have fun watching that movie because it's so bad it's funny.

 

[Loopy]

I wouldn't mind them doing it so long as it's not set in Japan and doesn't try and follow the exact plot of the original movie with exact characters. I don't want it to be like The Grude with a foreginer going to Japan for no real reason and hamfistedly speaking the language.

However, if they set it in any other country and had some person picking up a Death Note there, then I'd be cool with that. It wouldn't even have to be Ryuk or Rem's note. There are other Shinigami to choose from. Or maybe Ryuk could come back for more seeing as he is the kind of character to do things for sh!ts and giggles.

It could also be some kind of continuation following the events of what happened in Japan. It doesn't have to be a direct adaptation of the original source material plot point for plot point.

 

[EA9Sol]

I wouldn't mind seeing a remake of Death Note. As long as they don't kill of L like in the manga. -.- That was the point where it got rally ridiculous and boring. All that circular logic was just dumd. The only person who could pull off circular logic and make it look suspenseful and intense was L. He was awesome.

 

[Chancey289]

I wouldn't mind seeing a remake of Death Note. As long as they don't kill of L like in the manga. -.- That was the point where it got rally ridiculous and boring. All that circular logic was just dumd. The only person who could pull off circular logic and make it look suspenseful and intense was L. He was awesome.

L is a fan favorite and his little quirks were entertaining. Near and Mello were just completely pointless. It should have always ended between Light and L.

When you get right down to it as well Near and Mello just got Light arrested because L basically figured it all out. It was just an excuse really to stretch out the series.

No matter what anyone says, I will at least give the films credit for having an ending that's better than the source material.

SPOILERS:
It should have always ended between Light and L and I thought personally it was also a rather ingenious way. Also, I really like the fact that Light's dad actually sees for himself that his son is the massive serial killer they were hunting all along. That's an interesting aspect and his family will never know the truth. The movies overall could have been better but there's no denying the resolution was definitely superior.

 

[Shadow]

Beware! Long, spoilerific, fangirl-centric post ahead!

Tbh, I think every incarnation of DN is perfect so I'm not gonna be much help here, but...I'd rather the remake is kept in Japan--and in Japanese--but with better graphics. As for the fan choice thingies, I like Russel for Light in looks, though I don't know anything about him as an actor (but, then again, as much as I think Effron's grown as an actor, I can't see him playing an evil guy--maybe cuz he's always in chick flicks?). If Cilian Murphy played L you'd have one very happy and very dead fangirl on your hands cuz I'd have died a million times over. That said, Kenichi Matsuyama will always be L to me. He didn't just play L in the movies, imo, he embodied him. Whoever plays L next, I think they need the same kind of spark and attention to their character otherwise they'll fall flat and just look like an idiot with eyeliner and baggy clothes. (That said, I'd love to see a British L and Watari this time...just to keep with their nationalities and such.) I can't see your pick for Misa since the pic isn't showing up, but Gary Oldman for Soichiro? Oh, yes please...mmm.... :inlove:

I'd like to see a movie version of Mello, Matt and Near that was true to the original series, tbh. I may not have cared for the second arc of DN as much as the first, but I do have a soft spot for the three so...yeah.

Okay, let me just duck behind this shield here as I say this: I thought the Japanese DN movies were wonderful for what they were. This is a series with more deductive reasoning, logic, and talking than action or movement (and I mean movement literally in a couple character's senses). You can't have people just sitting there thinking for two hours and expect it to go over well in the box office. While I may have thought the change to Misora and L writing his own name down in the death note were stupid, they made the plot more interesting. It felt like closure to see it end with just Light and L. I still prefer the ending of the anime and manga more, though (even if it makes me cry...which is embarrassing). And the L movie was nice--not perfect, but nice. But...yeah. I don't understand the hate people have for the movies.

While we're on the subject of movies, though: where's my BB Murder Cases movie?! Give me B or give me jam! Uh...I mean...um.... ._.

Back on topic, though: I like what I've seen of your choices for characters. The only thing I can add is that I'd enjoy seeing Steven Yeun as Matsuda. <3 Go Matsu!

 

[Chancey289]

Steven Yeun as Matsuda is perfect. Nice suggestion.

Just thought of this, my choice for Watari would be Gandalf.

 

[Shadow]

Steven Yeun as Matsuda is perfect. Nice suggestion.

Thank you. =) *likes the thought of Ian McKellen as Watari the more she thinks about it*

I liked the anime ending too.
Switching to mellow & light going at it with him was a great idea & kept it fresh instead of turning into some cliched ending where L & light battles it out for the entire series & L finally defeats him.
That's too predictable.

I mean light who was a decent person gets power hungry, then L the good who's on his level of intelligence gets so close to figuring it out & loses because he slipped up.
lol It was truly awesome.

It did. ^^ I mean...Near didn't really do it for me after L's epicness, but it was kinda nice to switch it up and go from "crazy genius vs crazy genius" to "creepy sociopath vs chocoholic gangster with gamer sidekick vs crazy genius". ^^ *thinks Light's transition from good intentions to evil crazy dude was well handled* That said, I'm still sad about Lawlie dying.... *sighs*

 

[Chancey289]

I liked the anime ending too.
Switching to mellow & light going at it with him was a great idea & kept it fresh instead of turning into some cliched ending where L & light battles it out for the entire series & L finally defeats him.
That's too predictable.

I mean light who was a decent person gets power hungry, then L the good who's on his level of intelligence gets so close to figuring it out & loses because he slipped up.
lol It was truly awesome.

I honestly don't see Near and Mello as something fresh. They really had no real point and seemed more like a way to just drag out the series longer. Near and Mello even have their own little quirks that mirror L to an extent as if they were trying to recapture L and they ultimately fail at it because they are still 2 characters that aren't as interesting as L.

The movies had them basically finishing off each other and L had ALWAYS suspected Light. I liked the fact that L never really let his guard down on Light but you can also see a friendship that he formed with Light. The way the two interact made it seem like L always kinda wished that Light was innocent because he saw him as a friend. While we still don't know the specifics we do know he was a kid growing up that never really had the luxury of friends.

It's not cliched whatsoever. It's just how it should have ended all along.

The thing is too when you look at Light, if he would have never picked up the Death Note he would have grown up to be a great detective and I imagine he and L would have made a fine team.

If they really wanted to expand on Death Note then this would be my suggestion. They should have thought of a similar resolution like the films did and then turn back the clock for a L spin off series.

Seriously, I'm surprised we actually don't have this. Have the L spinoff have NOTHING to do with death notes, Kira, etc. It's just a series of cases L has taken on and solved. L battling serial killers, bank robbers, terrorist, etc. The possibilities.

All we ever really know about L is that he's like the greatest detective ever that's solved hundreds of cases. A L spinoff could explore those said cases. Hell, you can even have a season that focuses on when he was very young and practically a teenager becoming L. His origins.

Seems like a no brainer and I have no idea why no one has actually made this a thing yet.

 

[Chancey289]

And if Near and Mello really would be a thing then my suggestion is that they would be the future of Death Note. After the Kira case is solved and all this is over with, you can have an entire series based around the two and their journey to live up to the expectations of the legacy that is left for them to fill.

Two paths, one legacy. Friends, family, rivals.

THAT sounds like a more interesting series. It can really be character driven here. Again the more supernatural elements can take a back seat but it sounds much better than them trying to just recreate the same crap with 2 characters who are trying to be that basically the same character that shouldn't have just died there like that.

 

[Chancey289]

And still don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the Death Note series after L died but, it really didn't seem like it was really needed.

 

[Shadow]

-snip-

I see both sides in this and think both of you have great ideas, but want to quickly mention that there apparently was a one shot comic that Obha and Obata did about L's origins (in which he mistook a hug for an attack and apparently beat up a bunch of innocent orphans, so, yeah, I think friends must have been hard to come by for L ). Though I can't say for certain that comic exists because I've never gotten my hands on it. T-T Also, in the How To Read guide, Obha reveals that L was lying when he called Light a friend. (Direct quote= "L has no friends? Nope. And when he says that Light is his first friend that's a big lie. He never considers him a friend. He probably secretly thinks really negative things about him.") Just thought I'd throw that out there. *likes seeing them as a team, though and likes seeing the way they play off each other* I really wish they would have gone the L-spin off route once the series was wrapped up and more of L's cases would have been revealed. I mean...B's case was awesome, but what about the Winchester Mad Bombings and so on and so forth? One of 3.5k+ cases just...yeah. /==

A Near and Mello spot would be awesome, too. *mainly intrigued by the thought of Matt and Mello mayhem and Ner possibly choking on a leggo, but is still interested in how it would go* Call me crazy, but I'm curious about all the other letters from Wammy's House. I wonder what happens to them once they're too old to stay there....

 

[Chancey289]

I see both sides in this and think both of you have great ideas, but want to quickly mention that there apparently was a one shot comic that Obha and Obata did about L's origins (in which he mistook a hug for an attack and apparently beat up a bunch of innocent orphans, so, yeah, I think friends must have been hard to come by for L ). Though I can't say for certain that comic exists because I've never gotten my hands on it. T-T Also, in the How To Read guide, Obha reveals that L was lying when he called Light a friend. (Direct quote= "L has no friends? Nope. And when he says that Light is his first friend that's a big lie. He never considers him a friend. He probably secretly thinks really negative things about him.") Just thought I'd throw that out there. *likes seeing them as a team, though and likes seeing the way they play off each other* I really wish they would have gone the L-spin off route once the series was wrapped up and more of L's cases would have been revealed. I mean...B's case was awesome, but what about the Winchester Mad Bombings and so on and so forth? One of 3.5k+ cases just...yeah. /==

A Near and Mello spot would be awesome, too. *mainly intrigued by the thought of Matt and Mello mayhem and Ner possibly choking on a leggo, but is still interested in how it would go* Call me crazy, but I'm curious about all the other letters from Wammy's House. I wonder what happens to them once they're too old to stay there....

I have the How To Read book and I've read it all so I know all that good stuff but, I if I can rephrase what I meant about the no friends things was that there was probably people L had in his life but, his work was always the priority.

What makes L so interesting is that all his weird little quirks and stuff drop subtle hints of just a prodigy who never really had a normal life. He's very anti social and also just so ambiguous. There's a story to him that compels me to his character.

This is why I loved that scene in the L Change The World novel.

SPOILERS: The girl L was trying to protect all along gets kidnapped and he feels as if he fails her. After sprinting for nearly a mile his body is just so out of whack. It seems to be a bit of a breaking point because he loses all composure and screams. Pulling out a bit of his hair to even pounding his knuckles on the ground until they bleed a bit. You then get him thinking about how so much time spent on trying to always be nearly perfect has weighed him down and his body was a mirror to this personal struggle.

This takes place after the films events so you find out he has also kept Light's watch as a keepsake in order to remember him. L becomes this complex character study and maybe I'm reading too much in to things but if anything it just makes me more excited to discuss it.

While Death Note isn't the best series I've ever seen and also isn't even in my top 5 I do appreciate the kind of story and characters it introduced all while being a very unique spin on the whole cat and mouse crime game. Undeniably flawed but I do still love the world they created.

 

[Chancey289]

I've always been a big character guy lol.