The Tracking Board is reporting that Gus Van Sant will direct Warner Bros.’ adaptation of Death Note, the starts amazing/ends atrocious manga written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata.
While Van Sant would NEVER have appeared on my mental list of directors a major studio would hire to direct a manga adaptation, I’m delighted by how potentially perfect this pairing is. Anyone who has seen Van Sant’s Drugstore Cowboy, My Own Private Idaho, To Die For, Elephant or Paranoid Park knows how skilled he is at bringing nuanced portrayals of the teen angst, anger and confusion to the silver screen. I’m really looking forward to this!
