Zac Efron as Light Yagami?
Rumor has it that Zac Efron is going to play Light Yagami in the Hollywoodified version of Death Note. First of all, is there really going to be an American version of Death Note?! I loathe the thought. My favorite manga is going to be, dare I say the dreaded word, commercialized? It’s blasphemy. Of course there is the bright side where in IF it was ever made, the special effects would be kick-a** good. However, knowing Hollywood, it would milk the entire thing for what it’s worth. I mean, I think I like the idea of DN being bigger in the world wide scope, but I just don’t want to be disappointed when the movie comes out and they deviate from the original storyline or they make it too exaggerated or whatever and it turns out to be crap. I don’t want them to ruin such an ingenious piece of work! Does Hollywood even realize the immensity of this animé/manga? It’s a lot bigger than Twilight, I can assure you.
Anyway, on to Zac Efron: I have nothing against the dude, and I admit that he does look like Light and would be a good choice if looks were concerned. I think the worry of most DN fanatics is that he’s from HSM and well... Disney HSM to dark, twisted, ingenious animé? It’s a pretty big leap. At the risk of type-casting the guy, I really, really cannot see him as my second favorite character. Though many great actors have done those sorts of jumps, is Zac Efron that good for something like Death Note? IF there really is a movie, and IF he is really being cast, I sincerely hope he pulls it off brilliantly. So far, I’ve only seen him I the HSM movies and Hair Spray and from those movies, I can honestly say, he doesn’t have the intensity to play Light. Looks? Definitely. Charisma? Perhaps. The Darkness and Depth and sheer inner turmoil? We’ll have to see.
I’m not totally against the idea of him playing Light Yagami. Who knows? MAYBE he’ll be good. But until that is proven, I remain unconvinced and hoping that Hollywood would never touch such absolute brilliance that is Death Note. And if Zac Efron is rumored to be playing Light, who’s going to be L? I swear, if they cast someone bad… be prepared for an all caps entry with all the curses I have garnered in these past 22 years of my existence!