Anime or manga live-action adaptations are one of the riskiest subgenres out there. Because of the highly stylized, often quite over-the-top storytelling in anime, translating it to the “real world” can easily seem cheesy at best and embarrassing at worst. But when it’s done well, it can bring a whole new audience into the story. In recent years, we’ve seen more and more projects thread this needle, like Netflix’s One Piece or Alice in Borderland.
Now, after more than a decade in development, one of the most anticipated anime adaptations is finally picking up steam — and it may have the perfect director attached for such a high-stakes source material.
According to Variety, Lionsgate’s adaptation of the massively popular anime Naruto is starting pre-production, including a worldwide casting search for young actors to play Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. This adaptation will be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, a Marvel veteran who has helmed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto celebrated this update in a statement. “Right now, miracles are happening to me, one after another. My work, Naruto, is truly, truly becoming a Hollywood movie! And an even greater miracle is that the film will be directed by the one and only Destin Daniel Cretton,” he said. “I still cannot believe it! If so many miracles have already come together, then let us hope for even more. I am eagerly looking forward to the miraculous encounters that will bring us extraordinary and passionate actors! I cannot wait to meet my characters in the film!”
A Naruto live-action adaptation has been in the works since 2015, but this version has been in the works since 2024. Originally, it was set to be directed by Michael Gracey, the bombastic filmmaker behind The Greatest Showman and Rocketman, but Cretton — who managed to bring a Hong Kong martial arts movie sensibility to Marvel with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings — seems like a better fit than Gracey’s epic musical style.
After 11 years of development, it finally looks like this project may actually happen. But for fans of the original manga and anime, that doesn’t mean the final product will do it justice. For every Speed Racer, there’s a Last Airbender, after all. But hopefully the original creator’s blessing will mean the childlike spirit and rip-roaring action of Naruto will survive.
