One of the most indelible images from the Death Note anime series (and the manga it's based on) is the haunting appearance of the Shinigami Ryuk, a death god visible to Light Turner, the high school student in possession of a notebook with the power to kill. With filming now underway on Adam Wingard's live-action Death Note movie, the voice of Ryuk has been revealed.

Mashable reports that Willem Dafoe will voice Ryuk in the live-action Death Note film. An official image of Ryuk's appearance in the new movie has yet to be revealed (the image above is from the 2006–2007 anime adaptation), but it's likely that we'll see a CG creation of the curious death god with an appetite for apples.

His unblinking eyes and monstrous features making him a scary sight to behold, Ryuk is an observer of high school student Light, who uses his newfound special notebook (dropped on purpose by Ruyk into the human realm in a bid to escape boredom) to kill those he deems unworthy of life by writing their names in the notebook and imagining what they look like. Soon after, the bodies start hitting the floor and the world as Light knows it begins to bend to his will.

Dafoe joins a cast that includes Nat Wolff as Light Turner and Keith Stanfield as L, the mysterious and brilliant detective determined to stop Light from playing God.

Stay tuned to Daily Dead for more updates on Death Note, which is scheduled to make its world premiere on Netflix next year. For more information, we have the previous press release with full details on the upcoming film:

Press Release (TheFutonCritic.com): Beverly Hills, CA (June 30, 2016) - Netflix announced that principal photography begins Thursday on the original feature film Death Note from director Adam Wingard (The Guest, You're Next). Death Note will shoot in Canada and the U.S. and stars Nat Wolff (Paper Towns, The Fault in Our Stars) as Light Turner; Margaret Qualley (The Nice Guys, The Leftovers) as Mia Sutton; Keith Stanfield (Straight Outta Compton, Dope, Short Term 12) as "L"; Paul Nakauchi (Alpha and Omega) as Watari; and Shea Whigham (Agent Carter, Boardwalk Empire) as James Turner. The film will be produced by Roy Lee (The Ring, The Departed), Dan Lin (The Lego Movie, Sherlock Holmes), Jason Hoffs (Edge of Tomorrow), and Masi Oka (Heroes Reborn, Hawaii-Five-0).

Based on the famous Japanese manga written by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, Death Note follows a high school student who comes across a supernatural notebook, realizing it holds within it a great power; if the owner inscribes someone's name into it while picturing their face, he or she will die. Intoxicated with his new godlike abilities, the young man begins to kill those he deems unworthy of life.

"I am honored to be working with this great cast and I look forward to bringing Tsugumi and Takeshi's unique story to a global audience," said director Adam Wingard.

"Our vision for Death Note has always been to bring this captivating story to the screen for its longtime manga fans and to introduce the world to this dark and mysterious masterpiece. The talent and diversity represented in our cast, writing, and producing teams reflect our belief in staying true to the story's concept of moral relevance -- a universal theme that knows no racial boundaries," stated producers Roy Lee and Dan Lin.

Miri Yoon (Behaving Badly), Jonathan Eirich (Hammerspace), John Powers Middleton (Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, The Lego Movie), and Brendan Ferguson (Big Eyes, Reasonable Doubt) are executive producers.

Death Note will premiere globally on Netflix in 2017.

About Netflix

Netflix is the world''s leading Internet television network with over 81 million members in over 190 countries enjoying more than 125 million hours of TV shows and movies per day, including original series, documentaries and feature films. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.

Source: Mashable
  • Derek Anderson
    About the Author - Derek Anderson

    Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.

    When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.