February 8, 2006
According to Fangoria.com, shooting began February 1 at Tokyo's Nikkatsu Studio on the film adaptation of Takeshi Obata’s "Death Note", a Warner Bros production, directed by Shusuke Kaneko.
Tatsuya Fujiwara, noted for Kinji Fukasaku's "Battle Royale" will play the lead.
"'Death Note' is an incredibly popular manga," said Fujiwara.
"While it’s exciting to be part of such a big project, I also feel a lot of pressure due to the manga’s huge fan base."
"Death Note" follows 'Raito' as he discovers a notebook that spells death for anyone whose name is inscribed in it. By using the notebook for 'good' Riato destroys criminals, arousing an investigation by government authorities led by detective 'L'.
The manga death dealer 'Shin-gami' will be a CGI, 8-foot-tall, blue-skin with spiked hair. A full-sized, animatronic has also been built.
Following a 2 month shoot, "Death Note" will be released June 2006 in Japan.
