The upcoming Netflix adaptation of the hit Japanese manga "Death Note" has found their shinigami. The premise of Death Note revolves around a notebook the property of killing those that have their names written on it. The notebook was originally owned by a shinigami who got bored and dropped the notebook into the human world.
Hollywood is full of recognizable faces, but there are the elite few that have both very recognizable faces and voices. Willem Dafoe is one of those recognizable personalities. Having him voice the shinigami, Ryuk would be a treat. Today's generation would remember him for his role as Norman Osborne from the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man movie back in 2002, to which he gave an incredible performance bouncing between two personalities - the mirror scene clearly shows how good he is as an actor, and how powerful his voice is at communicating emotions.
According to Mashable, while also being tied with Warner Bros. and DC's upcoming film "Justice League," Dafoe has sealed the deal to provide the voice of Ryuk for the adaptation of Death Note and will be released next year on Netflix. The internet has made comparisons of the shinigami Ryuk to how Dafoe looks, and the consensus is that the resemblance is quite uncanny. Also based from the past roles that he has played, his presence and acting style could be a good fit for the role of bored shinigami.
Since it was first released in 2003, the popularity of Death Note has led to multiple novel adaptations, an anime series and even a musical.
Variety reports that Adam Wingard, director of the V/H/S horror movie franchise will be helming the film, while Shea Whigham, Margaret Qualley, Nat Wolff and Keith Stanfield joins the cast.
While waiting for Dafoe's appearance on Justice League and his shinigami role in Death Note, fans can see him in his upcoming movie , "Hunter Killer." which is an action thriller based on the 2012 novel "Firing Point" by Don Keith & George Wallace, and directed by Donovan Marsh, to which principal photography of the film had already begun, and with a 2017 release.
Video courtesy of Wochit Entertainment.
