Adam Wingard’s found his lead for DEATH NOTE, and he’s one hot young actor.
Nat Wolff will be playing Light/Kira in Wingard’s adaptation of the manga series. Wolff is Mr. YA these days, having starred in PALO ALTO, THE FAULT OF OUR STARS, and PAPER TOWNS over the last two years. He also featured in ADMISSION (as Tina Fey’s is-he-isn’t-he son), GRANDMA, and two of last week’s releases, ASHBY and THE INTERN.
The thing about DEATH NOTE is that Light goes bad very, very quickly, and Wolff is not going to get by with slacker charm or wide-eyed innocence. We have to see some serious, messed-up shit going on behind those eyes, and I’m thinking Wingard sees something in Wolff that no other filmmaker’s exploited thus far if he feels certain about locking him down as a lead. Of course, there’s the commercial appeal of having a popular young actor who isn’t quite that expensive yet, particularly if they want to build this into a franchise, but I have to assume that they’re going into this ready to explore the dark side of Wolff’s persona.
Equally (perhaps more) important than who they get for Light is how they cast L, the computer genius who decides to hunt down and expose Wolff’s character for his secret life as an armchair murderer. They’re gonna need someone who can bounce off of Wolff while the two straddle the line between protagonist and antagonist, and getting sparks to fly between them is absolutely crucial. I’m glad they’re getting someone on Wolff’s level for Light, but mostly because that means they’re taking this project A-list seriously, and that they will be aiming similarly high for L.
What you guys think of Nat Wolff as a guy who starts to play god with his book that kills whosever name one writes?
