When you adapt one of the most famous manga comics of all time, you're going to expect to get some criticism from fans but Netflix probably didn't expect to be in the center of another 'whitewashing' storm when they released the trailer for Death Note.
The film is directed by The Guest's Adam Wingard and sees high schooler Light Turner (Paper Towns' Nat Wolff) find a mysterious notebook. If he writes the name of a person in the notebook and then visualises them in his mind then that person will die.
The trailer has come in for some criticism from fans who don't understand why Asian actors weren't considered for any roles in the film.
Me after watching the #DeathNote trailer pic.twitter.com/bzoFS8QyGh
— Christian 🇱🇦 (@chrisoasian) March 23, 2017
other ppl have already explained this but death note is HEAVILY based in jpn culture & it literally doesn't make sense outside that context
— emi (@plantblogger) March 22, 2017
However one casting decision that most people seem to be able to agree on is Willem Dafoe lending his voice to the role of Ryuk, the god of death known as the shinigami who drops the notebook for Light to find at the beginning of the trailer.
On the positive side for the Death Note live action, I'm 99% sure Willem Dafoe will slay his role as Ryuk pic.twitter.com/vOEWI0YMNe
— RYAN (@RYANlME) March 22, 2017