Although Netflix already attempted to adapt writer Tsugumi Oba and illustrator Takeshi Obata’s Death Note in 2017, the streamer is gearing up to do it once again with the help of the Duffer Brothers.
Fresh off the success of Stranger Things 4 Vol. 2, Netflix announced today that Matt and Ross Duffer have renewed their deal to develop multiple projects for the platform and have created Upside Down Pictures, a new production house named after the dimension at the center of their sci-fi opus. In a public statement to Upside Down Pictures, the Duffers shared that producer Hilary Leavitt (Orphan Black, Ozark) has been tapped to head the studio and expressed confidence in her ability to make it a success.
“It didn’t take long after our first meeting with Hilary, where we bonded over movies like ‘Jaws,’ ‘Home Alone,’ and ‘Speed,’ to know we had found a soulmate,” Duffer said. “Hillary’s passion for storytelling is perhaps matched only by her passion for the very storytellers she fiercely champions. No wonder so many writers and directors are drawn to work with her.”
According to the Duffer Bros., their goal with Upside Down Pictures is to tell the stories that enlightened them as young film lovers – “stories that unfold at that beautiful crossroads where the ordinary meets the extraordinary, where grand spectacle coexists with intimate work with characters where heart trumps cynicism.” To that end, Upside Down plans to produce a number of new series with a similar narrative DNA to Stranger Things.
In addition to the Stranger Things spinoff show and stage play directed by Stephen Daldry, Upside Down Pictures is also working on an untitled original series created by Jeffrey Addis and Will Matthews (Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance). Upside Down Pictures will also adapt existing properties, such as Curtis Gwynn’s take on Stephen King and Peter Straub’s Talisman , but the project most likely to intrigue audiences is the studio’s upcoming spin on Death Note .
Netflix hasn’t announced any firm details about Upside Down Pictures’ Death Note, such as whether it will be related to the studio’s 2017 film. But given how poorly received that film and many of Netflix’s other attempts at remaking beloved anime have been classics, it will be something if Upside Down Pictures’ Death Note manages to impress when it eventually debuts.
Add Comment