Gus Van Sant will direct DEATH NOTE, Warner Bros.’ adaptation of the manga written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The film follows the story of a high school student who finds a mysterious notebook that lets him instantly kill any person by writing their name in the book. As the student’s body count piles up, a nameless FBI agent begins tracking him. Van Sant replaces Shane Black, who was attached to direct as recently as 2013. The most recent draft of the script was written by Black, Anthony Bagarozzi, and Charles Mondry.
Adam Wingard, the cult director behind indie genre gems The Guest and You’re Next, has signed on to direct Death Note, an adaptation of a horror manga being developed at Warner Bros.
Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Jason Hoffs and Masi Oka are producing the project, which was previously adapted as movie in its home country of Japan, spawning a sequel.
The story centers on a student who discovers a supernatural notebook that allows him to kill anyone by writing the victim's name, who then decides to cleanse the world of whom he deems evil. As the student is tracked by a reclusive police officer, a cat-and-mouse game ensues.
Shane Black was previously attached to direct.
Doug Davison and Brian Witten are exec producing. Niija Kuykendall and Nik Mavinkurve are overseeing for the studio.
Wingard, who also created segments of the horror anthologies V/H/S and The ABCs of Death, will first direct The Woods, a horror movie at Lionsgate that is due to shoot this summer.
