Best known for her role as Justin Theroux’s on-screen daughter in HBO’s The Leftovers, Margaret Qualley is lining up a big next project. The fast-rising actress is currently in talks to star in Death Note, Warner Bros.’ adaptation of the popular manga and anime series.
THR reports that Qualley is in negotiations to take the female lead opposite Nat Wolff, who joined the project a few weeks ago in the main lead. They also confirm our expectations that the story will translate the location from the Kanto region of Japan to a major metropolitan city in America.
Courtesy of Amazon, here’s the synopsis for the anime.
Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects, who’s bored out of his mind. One day he finds the Death Note: a notebook from the realm of the Death Gods, with the power to kill people in any way he desires. With the Death Note in hand, Light decides to create his perfect world, without crime or criminals. However, when criminals start dropping dead one by one, the authorites send the legendary detective L to track down the killer, and a battle of wits, deception and logic ensues…
Wolff is expected to play the role of Light – though expect all character names to be changed to reflect the American setting and cast. Though Qualley’s character isn’t specifically mentioned, the fact that she’s set to play the female lead probably means she’ll be taking on the role of Misa.
Adam Wingard (The Guest, You’re Next) is behind the camera, with Jeremy Slater (Fantastic Four) penning the most recent draft, based on the original manga by Tsugumi Oba and Takeshi Obata. Roy Lee (The Departed), Dan Lin (Sherlock Holmes), Jason Hoffs (Edge of Tomorrow), and Masi Oka (Heroes) are all producing.
Qualley started out her career as a model, making her debut four years ago at the age of just 16 at New York Fashion Week. She then made her acting debut in the adaptation of James Franco’s Palo Alto, which also starred Wolff.
Since then, she has taken one of the leading roles in HBO’s The Leftovers, and will next be seen on the big screen in Shane Black’s The Nice Guys, starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling.
Death Note is reportedly looking to shoot in the spring next year, which I really hope doesn’t mean that Qualley won’t be returning for Season 3 of The Leftovers. HBO hasn’t officially renewed it for a third season, and it’s possible the story will end after Season 2. But she very quickly became one of my favourite characters, and I’d love to see her and the show return for more next year.
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