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Remember Netflix’s horrible live-action adaptation of Tsugumi Ohba’sDeath Noteseries back in 2017? We hoped to put that all behind us but a new planned live-action adaptation of the anime, which was popularly a manga, is in the works, again…and to make this news much more distressing, Netflix is working on it.
The major production company/ streaming service is on track in its path of making a live-action production based on the manga, and this time it’s going to be a TV series rather than a movie. They’ve already hiredMiss Annitywriter Halia Abdel-Meguid to work in the writing department, withStranger Thingscreators Matt and Ross Duffer filling in as executive producers.
A Must-Read:‘There was a version where he didn’t make it’: Stranger Things Creators Reveal One Major Character Who Was Nearly Killed in Fourth Season
Netflix Working On A Live-Action Death Note TV Series
With an attempt to actually be able to tell the whole story in a series format, Netflix has begun the production process of its upcoming live-action adaptation ofDeath Note.
The production company has hired Halia Abdel-Meguid to write, who to be fair isn’t a bad choice. She’s fluent in Japanese and used to live in Japan’s capital Tokyo, and yes, she’s a fan of theDeath Notemanga as well as the anime adaptation it received in 2006.
Related:‘We Hope This SH*T Is So Bad It Brings Togashi Out of Hiding’: Yu Yu Hakusho Fans Call Netflix Live Action Cast ‘Atrocious’, Want Yoshihiro Togashi to Intervene
As exciting as the prospect of a full-length TV series of the manga sounds with theDuffer Brothersacting as executive producers, fans still hold a grudge against Netflix for its first attempt with a movie and they can’t seem to forget about it. Here are their reactions-
Netflix learn from their mistakes challenge (IMPOSSIBLE)
— The Eckolyte🌹🍉 (@Blacklight_21)July 28, 2025
A ray of hope-
Now before anyone freaks out remember this is going to be a series and not a movie the movie tried to squeeze everything together also apparently they are actually a fan of the source material WHICH IS A GOOD THING I might add.
— Chaotic (@Chaotickeyblade)July 10, 2025
They don’t trust the new writer! –
Never seen any of her work so no expectations except for the recurring pattern of live action anime adaptations being dog shit soooo yeah, just gonna wait and see I guesspic.twitter.com/pDxrTZApgE
— Gio (@Gioezzc)August 05, 2025
A straight-up nope to the whitewashing from the movie-
if they make any of the main characters white i think i will do something really bad
— oat milker (@eppefex)Jun 02, 2025
It’s worth a try-
https://twitter.com/BlackKarasu2/status/1583236323166412800
They’re questioning Netflix’s artistic capability now-
They should just give it to japanese creators to adapt and provide them with big budget (which previous DN adaptations lacked). Alice in Borderlands is example of how well this works.
— Adrian Werner (@AdrianWerner)July 05, 2025
These reactions are quite hilarious, understandably so. But we must also note that this will be an entirely different take on the anime/manga, with no relation to the 2017 movie.
Also Read:10 Greatest Psychological Thriller Anime That Will Mess With Your Mind
What Netflix Did Wrong In Its First Death Note Attempt
Netflix’s previous movie adaptation ofDeath Notewas quite a spectacle, and not for its visuals or storytelling, but for the backlash that followed after its release from a huge part of the anime community as well as critics.
The adaptation drew criticism for feeling too rushed, which was understandable for an attempt to squeeze the vastness of the manga’s lore into a 100-minute movie.
However, the movie doesn’t look too bad on paper. The lead cast saw the great Willem Dafoe cast as the voice actor for Ryuk,The Naked Brothersstar Nat Wolff as the protagonist Light Turner,Get Outstar Lakeith Stanfield as L, and so on.
Notice something? None of these lead roles have Asian actors, another major criticism of the movie was the blatant whitewashing of characters.
Related:Worst Live-Action Movies Based On Anime, Ranked
Perhaps the only positive takeaway from the movie, apart from Stanfield and Dafoe’s performances, was that the original creators, Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, praised the movie. But even then they agreed that the adaptation did diverge from the original work to make it more accessible to a larger audience.
The sequel to the 2017 movie is currently underway despite all the negative feedback, andMortal Kombatwriter Greg Russo is set to write. Producer Masi Oka also promised during an interview with Screen Rant that fan criticism will be taken into account, our only hope is that they know what they’re doing this time round.
Death Noteis currently available for streaming on Netflix.
Source:Twitter
Sang Tonsing
Articles Published :385
Sang is a content writer for Fandomwire with over 300 published articles. He now has 3 years of experience and counting in content writing. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Delhi University.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sang-tonsing-a2467414b/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonsing.ginmuansang/
