It’s just that for anime/manga adaptations in particular, Hollywood hasn’t had that great of a track record, and after Speed Racer and DBE, there’s also the issue of anyone liking the movie, not just the existing fans. Continually making and destroying these titles kind of gives the source material a bad rap with the general audience too, which is unfortunate.

Personally, I think Zac Efron is a douchebag and would prove a poor choice for the role of Yagami. I actually saw a petition going around from 4chan about getting Efron off the role.

I am a hugetime otaku and I would hate to see an American version of Death Note, which is already pretty popular. There’s been already much controversy over how it has influenced others into doing bad things, such as make their own Death Note, and especially since American is so big on the media, it’s not going to help.

But aside from that, I really do hope to god that the producers will be able to prove me wrong and surprise me and bring something good.

Yeah, money. I still think the CG aspect will be a big deal since I kind of think WB will be more cautious with their money after Speed Racer’s crash and burn — maybe it’s unfair to compare the two since they’ll be aimed at completely different general markets, but that’s WB’s call I guess. Pan’s Labyrinth was all costume and puppetry, a dying art. It was also a foreign film, which I think adds at least a little bit to appeal.

There are other things to consider that I didn’t mention, including length. I don’t feel like DN can comfortably fit in a two and a half hour movie. Three hours is always risky and probably not enough anyway, but two separate movies will probably be out of the question.

As for Zac Efron — it’s a 4chan meme spawned from long-ago realizations that he looks startlingly similar to Light in various outfits. I doubt the casting will actually happen, though it would be hilarious if it did.

A majority of American audiences haven’t been exposed to Death Note, which means the concept will be new for a lot of people, which brings it down to the thing it’s always brought down to: Money. From what little I know of death note, I think there is definitely and audience for it. It’s dark, it’s mysterious, it’s supernatural– in my mind that’s got a whole of appeal. As far as monsters go, I’m not so sure– but look at Pan’s Labyrinth. If something is good enough people don’t care.

I’d be up for a major studio Death Note movie. I’ve seen clips from one of the DN movies you mentioned and I thought it looked silly– maybe WB will pump more money in then you think.

BTW- Was there also some news about Zac Efron being in it or was that just a crazy rumor and/or speculation?