VIZ Pictures and NCM Fathom will present a “special two-night multi-city debut” of the live-action “special event” Death Note in more than 300 theatres across the United States on 20 and 21 May at 7:30PM local time. The event will include a specially produced 20-minute feature on how the manga translates to live action, as well as the first-ever interview with Director Shusuke Kaneko.
Death Note is based on the supernatural action mystery manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The live-action film was released in Japan in 2006, and “mirrors the manga’s story of Light Yagami, an ace student with great prospects who is bored out of his mind. All of that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god named Ryuk. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals mysteriously begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to investigate, and he is soon hot on the trail of Light, who must now reevaluate his one noble goal. Both Light and L believe themselves to be on the side of justice, and the two match wits trying to show exactly which of them is ‘good’ and which of them is ‘evil.'”
In addition to the live-action film, Death Note is a manga series and an animated series. The 37-episode animated series is broadcast on cable television and available on DVD from VIZ. Death Note 13: How to Read is a companion volume to the manga series which was ranked in USA Today‘s Top 150 list of America’s best-selling books in February.
“Death Note is a riveting and critically acclaimed drama that has become the latest animated and manga series to capture the attention of millions of fans across North America,” says Seiji Horibuchi, President and CEO of VIZ Pictures. “Inspired by its manga and animation counterparts, the live-action Death Note combines the best aspects of suspenseful crime dramas like Heat, Seven, and Sea of Love with supernatural plot elements to make for a very unique story. We are very excited to partner with NCM Fathom to present this special two-night event in major markets across the country. With multiple genres available to enjoy the story we hope the film attracts fans of the manga and animated series and vice versa.”
Advance purchase tickets will be available 18-20 April exclusively to subscribers to the Shonen Jump e-mail newsletter. General sales will start 21 April at the local box offices and on the web at FathomEvents.com (a complete list of theatre locations and prices will also be available on that web site).