Netflix has evolved considerably over the years, branching out into the realms of original TV content and original film content with remarkable speed. The streaming service has carved out a name for itself with some notable titles, and now it looks like it's going to dive even further into franchise territory. Specifically, we can now confirm that a sequel to 2017's Death Note is in development.
The report on this sequel comes to us courtesy of THR. In a breakdown of the films on the horizon for Netflix's upcoming slate, Chief Content Office Ted Sarandos revealed that Death Note 2 is very much on the table for the service. Little is known about whether or not Adam Wingard will actually return to direct the sequel, but screenwriter Greg Russo is said to be writing the script.
Death Note was one of Netflix's most highly anticipated projects last year. Based off of the beloved manga of the same name, the story centers on a teenage boy who discovers a notebook that can kill anyone whose name is written inside of it. The film was not widely-praised by critics (in fact, it's currently sitting with a 40% on Rotten Tomatoes), but Netflix seems to have a lot of faith in the material and the potential for viewership to dive into a follow-up.
Of course, that begs the question of what a sequel to Death Note could even look like. Well, CinemaBlend has some answers for you on that front. In fact, we interviewed Adam Wingard near Death Note's release, and he explained that a potential follow-up to the first Death Note could revolve around Light's eventual descent into villainous territory. The Blair Witch director told us:
For this film, it felt like it was very much the origin story. But it opens itself up great for all kinds of different avenues to carry over. Specifically with Light. With this movie, it's really about Light coming into his own. He doesn't start, in this film, as the super genius that he is in the anime and the manga. It's more that he has to earn that status. And by the end of this movie, you can see that there's definitely a big change within him. And that could easily carry over into a sequel. It'd be very interesting to see the arc of that character essentially go from a normal high school kid to somewhat of a super villain.
It's also worth noting that Death Note 2 is not the only sequel that Netflix currently has up its sleeve. In addition to the follow-up to the manga adaptation, Netflix is also in the process of developing a sequel to David Ayer's Bright.
On that note, we will bring you more information related to Death Note 2 as further details are made available to us. Until we learn more, check out our Netflix premiere guide and our full 2018 premiere guide to see what else is coming to the big screen this year.
