One of the reasons Netflix doesn’t release viewership data is that they don’t have to explain their decisions, or can be really vague about them. Last year’s live-action remake of anime/manga Death Note wasn’t really well-received by fans of the popular series, but apparently it did good enough that a sequel is now in the works.
THR reports Death Note 2 is in development at the streaming giant, with Netflix’s Ted Sarandos calling the previous film a “sizable success”, whatever that means. Greg Russo is being brought on to write the script, but there’s no word about director Adam Wingard or the film’s cast which included Nat Wolff, Margaret Qualley, and Lakeith Stanfield. The film centered on Light Turner, a brilliant but reclusive high schooler who finds a demonic notebook that allows him to kill anybody whose name is written in it. He uses the book, along with some help from its original demon owner, against criminals to create a worldwide utopia.
For what it’s worth, Wingard was saying as early as last summer that Netflix was eager for more Death Note, but only if people watched the first one. Apparently they did.
It’s unclear if the plot will mirror the 2006 plot of Death Note 2: The Last Name, or if it will take a different angle on the story.
