A live-action Naruto movie is in the works at Lionsgate with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ Destin Daniel Cretton tapped to write and direct, the studio announced today.
Cretton has already met with franchise creator Masashi Kishimoto, who will help oversee the film. Arad Productions’ Avi Arad, Ari Arad, and Emmy Yu will produce the Naruto film. Cretton will also produce along with Jeyun Munford’s company, Hisako.
“It was a true honor to meet Kishimoto-san in Tokyo and hear his expansive vision for his creation,” Cretton said in the announcement. “We are very excited to collaborate and bring NARUTO to the big screen.”
With animated movies, multiple series, and games under its belt, Naruto has long been considered one of the Big Three of anime. Its manga alone has printed more than 250 million copies in more than 60 countries and garnered a nearly uncountable number of fans throughout the last few decades.
In a statement, Kishimoto talked about his meeting with Cretton, saying he "can't help but be excited" for the film:
“When I heard of Destin’s attachment, it happened to be right after watching a blockbuster action film of his, and I thought he would be the perfect director for NARUTO. After enjoying his other films and understanding that his forte is in creating solid dramas about people, I became convinced that there is no other director for NARUTO. In actually meeting Destin, I also found him to be an open-minded director who was willing to embrace my input, and felt strongly that we would be able to cooperate together in the production process. To put it simply, the live-action NARUTO is bound to be a film with spectacular action and profound drama. I can’t help but be excited for it.”
A live-action Naruto movie was said to have been in the works for some time, but today’s news finally gives fans some clear direction. Previous reports had Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) tapped to direct, though Lionsgate was at least interested as far back as 2017.
Live-action takes on classic anime stories are nothing new. Some recent examples include Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop show and its One Piece series. However, the results of these adaptations have varied, with the former met a cancelation while One Piece is set to return for Season 2.
“NARUTO is one of the greatest manga ever written that has captivated hearts and minds globally,” Avi and Ari Arad said. “Collaborating with the legendary Kishimoto-san and the esteemed team at Shueisha has been a joy and an honor. We are beyond excited to have Destin at the helm, bringing this cherished saga to life under the Lionsgate banner.”
Naruto’s performance remains to be seen. The movie has no release window, so we’ll have to wait to see when it will arrive.
THR first broke the news.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
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