The creators of "Stranger Things" just announced their upcoming projects-- The list included a live-action remake of the Japanese manga and anime series "Death Note."
With the support of Netflix, Matt and Ross Duffer created new studio "Upside Down Pictures." The brothers seek to adapt stories that fascinated them while growing up into films and television shows. In a press release they detailed their vision further;
“Stories that take place at that beautiful crossroads where the ordinary meets the extraordinary, where big spectacle co-exists with intimate character work, where heart wins out over cynicism.”
Netflix also revealed that the manager of Emmy Award-winning series "Orphan Black," Hillary Leavitt, has been hired to run "Upside Down Pictures." In her statement, she shared how the Duffer brothers inspire her, writing,
“Ridiculously cool opportunity to build a company with the Duffer Brothers where we produce movies and television because we love movies and television. This love is at the core of Upside Down Pictures, where we’re able to collaborate with other artists on projects across the full spectrum of genre…”
New projects for the studio include the original series "Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance," an episodic adaptation from Stephen King and Peter Straub‘s "The Talisman," and a "Stranger Things" spinoff show. The Duffers also announced plans to make another live-action movie of "Death Note," leaving some fans skeptical.
Netflix's first attempt to make such a film did not go as anticipated. Receiving a 23% audience score and a 37% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, fans of the 2006 anime felt heavily disappointed. "New Republic" critic, Cilo Chang, summarized the movie by writing,
“Director Adam Wingard has robbed Death Note of its identity, messing up nearly everything that made the original series so compelling.”
"Death Note," written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, tells the story of highschool student, Light Yagami, and his conquest to take over the world with a notebook that has the power to kill, all while trying to avoid suspicion from the police.
According to Deadline, the new film will have an “entirely new take.”
