Shea Whigham Cast In Death Note

With Netflix’s Death Note already underway with its principal photography, the anticipated film has just announced it’s added another star to its ensemble cast. It looks like Shea Whigham is the newest star to join the film’s cast.

Best-known for his work on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and True Detective, Whigham is soon slated to appear in Star Trek Beyond and Kong: Skull Island. And, now, the actor is set to star in Death Note as James Turner. For fans of the original Death Note anime, that character’s name probably sounds unfamiliar, but you’ll might recognize the name Soichiro Yagami. Overlooking the obvious name change, Whigam’s character is that of Light’s father whose work as a police officer forces him to investigate his very own son when unexplained murders begin popping up.

Death Note made waves earlier in the year when news broke that Netflix had taken control of the project after Warner Bros. shelved its adaptation. The film, which is based off the popular Japanese anime/manga, will feature several major story changes that’ll ‘Americanize’ characters, locations, and various myths from the original source.

Now, Death Note will center around Light Turner (Nat Wolff) who discovers a mysterious and deadly notebook which has the power to kill anyone whose name is written within it. Drunk off justice, Turner uses the notebook to rid the world of people – usually criminals – that he thinks should be culled. While the original story attributed the notebook’s ownership to the Shinigami, or Death God, Netflix’s adaptation will reportedly tie the object’s power back to a yet-unnamed demon.

With Adam Wingard directing, Death Note is expected to hit Netflix in 2017. Jeremy Slate scripted the film, and Doug Davidson will be executive producing the film alongside Brian Witten. Roy Lee, Jason Hoffs, Masi Oka, and Dan Lin will act as supporting producers on the film as well.