“Death Note” US Trailer Shows First Look At Willem Dafoe As Ryuk The Shinigami; Would There Be A Departure From The Japanese Original?

Netflix recently unveiled the first trailer for the US adaptation of “Death Note.” The film, which is directed by Adam Wingard, is based on the popular Japanese manga series by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata that centers around Light Yagami, a high school student, who possesses a supernatural notebook from a Shinigami, the god of death. The Hollywood Reporter said the Netflix original stars Adam Wingard as Light, Keith Stanfield as L, the brilliant detective tasked with tracking the high school student down, and Willem Dafoe as Ryuk the Shinigami.

The trailer itself was exciting for fans who have long anticipated for the project. However, Dafoe’s portrayal of Ryuk might as well made even doubters have faith in the film adaptation. Variety said in a recap:

“At the end of the trailer, the alarming voice of Ryuk (Willem Dafoe), the god of death known as the shinigami who drops the notebook, is heard asking a simple question to Turner: “Shall we begin?””

One Reddit fan wrote, “I cannot think of any actor more suitable for the role. Just his devious smile alone is perfect!”

“That Death Note show looks really bad but Willem Dafoe as Ryuk is absolutely perfect casting so I am morbidly curious to watch it,” another tweeted.

Polygon said Netflix will premiere “Death Note” on August 25. In the meantime, fans can rewatch the anime series version, which spans 37 episodes, at over 20 minutes per episode, also on Netflix and Hulu, The Verge said.