Destin Daniel Cretton’s live-action Naruto movie now has a finished script and will tell a “nuanced and special” story about the Hidden Leaf Village’s yellow-haired ninja in training.
Our latest update on the adaptation of one of the biggest anime of all time comes from an interview Entertainment Weekly conducted with writer Tasha Huo. She says that her “script is done” and has been passed to Cretton, who is writing and directing the project. A completed script means the Naruto movie has reached a major milestone, and Huo says she’s optimistic about its direction. She trusts the director, saying that his “very personal and relatable” style is one element of his films she enjoys.
Huo adds that she feels the director, who is best known for helming Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and 2019’s Just Mercy, will take Naruto’s story in a direction that avoids the franchise’s already large world.
“I think that’s such a cool choice because he’s going to be able to capture how nuanced and special Naruto is without getting distracted by the big world that it is, which I think could easily be done by someone who’s not a fan or someone who’s coming in for a cash payday," she says. "This is definitely a movie that comes at it from a love of who Naruto is and that character and his relationships."
Naruto had humble beginnings, starting as a manga series by Masashi Kishimoto in 1997. Its popularity has ballooned since then, as the series has gone on to not only receive its anime adaptation of the same name but sequel shows like Naruto: Shippuden and Baruto, too. It’s also spawned a number of video games such as the Ultimate Ninja Storm series, too. Even with so much content to pull from, Huo teases a narrative that may stick closer to Naruto’s roots.
Cretton was confirmed to have joined the live-action Naruto movie earlier this year. The franchise is considered one of the Big Three in the world of anime, meaning expectations for a film adaptation were high the moment it got off the ground. Kishimoto did at least give his blessing to see the Shang-Chi director bring Naruto to the big screen, going as far as to release a statement on the matter when the filmmaker’s involvement was revealed.
“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,” Kishimoto said at the time. “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.”
The Naruto movie currently has no release date. While we wait for more news, you can see how to catch up on the series with our watch order guide. You can also read about a recent crossover comic run that will see the talkative ninja meeting up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
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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