Netflix’s Death Note (2017): When Is the Release Date?

Death Note is perhaps one of the best anime of all time and it’s finally getting a western, live-action adaptation.  Coming to viewers courtesy of Netflix, this film aims to bring this legendary series to life while making some changes given it’s set in America. Directed by Adam Wingard, Death Note will draw from the source material along with adding other various themes and variations on the existing characters. If you are looking to watch Death Note then you’ll need to have a Netflix subscription as it won’t be available to view any other way.

Netflix’s Death Note officially releases worldwide on August 25.

The story of Death Note follows student Light Turner (Nat Wolff) who comes in possession of a mystical object known as a Death Note. When a name is written in this black journal that person will die of a heart attack after 60 seconds, but the user can also specify the details of a victim’s death. Taking up the moniker “Kira,” Light begins to murder anyone he deems as evil which draws the eye of the police along with a mysterious detective only known as L (Lakieth Stanfield). What follows is a cat and mouse game as Light tries to stay one step of the people hunting for Kira.

While this is the basic premise of the anime/manga, Netflix’s Death Note does make some alterations to the story and characters. This is mainly due to the shift in setting, as the anime took place in Japan and all of the characters were Japanese. It’s unclear how much of the first season of Death Note this plot will incorporate, but there are some noticeable additions such as a scene on a giant Ferris wheel. The movie also appears to be far gorier and bloodier than the show, but this should come as no surprise given Wingard is an acclaimed horror director.

If you are looking to jump right into Netflix’s Death Note make sure to tune in on August 25. It’s also important to remember the time will probably be 12:00 a.m. PDT/ 3:00 a.m. EDT since The Defenders launched at midnight on the west coast.  In the mean time, you can watch the original anime (In either Japanese or English dubs) on Netflix right now.