"Death Note" has been a controversial topic in the US ever since the hit anime series made the US debut on 2006. The violence depicted in the film was adopted by children and there are several instances of kids making their own "Death Notes" and putting up names of persons they want to die. The latest controversy surrounding the series is a remake under Netflix which is under heavy fire from fans that accused filmmakers of whitewashing.
The film is currently in post-production and a trailer was released last March 22 showing a full cast of white actors. According to Celebeat, the actors starring in the film are Nat Wolff, Lakeith Stanfield, Margaret Qualley, Shea Whigham, Paul Nakauchi and Willem Dafoe wherein none is of Asian descent. Fans are going wild on social media platforms lambasting Netflix and accusing them of whitewashing their beloved series.
The upcoming "Ghost in the Shell" live-action adaptation movie also caught on the misfire where the filmmakers casted Scarlett Johansson to play Motoko Kusanagi. Other live-action adaptation movies are also mentioned by fans like "The Last Air Bender" and "Dragon Ball Evolution" who suffered the same treatment.
Netflix decided to change the name of the antagonist's name from Light Yagami to Light Turner which resulted into more disappointments from the fans. However, not all who commented on the trailer was against the Netflix original film. Some fans defended the adaptation saying that the new film is justifiable as the setting of the film was moved from Japan to Seattle, Washington.
Apparently, producers Lee and Lin saw that this issue may come up before the film started its production. They mentioned in an interview that their view of the movie is to stay true to the original manga's concept of moral relevance. They claimed that the idea is universal and that the theme knows no racial boundaries.
However, there is no stopping for the hardcore fans who are offended by the latest adaptation of "Death Note." They even initiated a signature petition to boycott the film which is nearing its 10,000 signatures as reported by CBC News. While the petition will hardly do any damage to the film, it still means that people will stand on the problems that are present in the entertainment industry.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
