Death Note Actor Says The Live-Action Film Took Plenty Of Leaps

Netflix's version of Death Note has split fans, with some saying they loved it others saying they hated it. Meanwhile, film critics were not pleased Adam Wingard's creation either. However, Death Note fans need to remember that this live-action is not a remake of the original series, it's simply inspired by the anime and given a new twist.

"I feel most comfortable when people work from a place of heart, so if they make something that isn't just a straight version of the original, and they take some leaps and liberties, I think it's necessary," Dafoe said. "You take the soul of the source material and then you make something with that soul but it doesn't have to be a replica. It can be something completely different," said actor Willem Dafoe, who voices Ryuk, in an interview with Polygon.

This story wasn't a recreation, it was an entirely new story inspired by an old story and that is the way Wingard intended it to be. It had to be different, as it can be difficult fitting a 37-episode and 12 volume series into a two-hour film. This is a reason many live-action adaptations have failed in the past; they tried too hard to make it exactly the same.

"It's like any time you take a song and you do a new version of it, you know you honor the spirit of the original and you're always making it in your terms," he said. "I think art deserves all kinds of spins. Especially a movie like Death Note, which can be done in many ways," continued Dafoe.

Death Note does have a number of potential spins the story can take, with Wingard's version being one of them. This is why Illustrator Ohba's manga has inspired an animated TV series, several games, animated films and as well as live-action adaptations.