One particular live-action anime/manga adaptation has been in the zeitgeist for quite a while. We first heard reports of a live-action Naruto movie in 2015. At the time, Lionsgate was in negotiations for the film rights to the franchise. And it was reported that Michael Gracey would helm the live-action Naruto movie, acting as its director. But since that exciting announcement, very little progress has happened with this film. But, here we are, over eight years later, and finally, it looks like momentum is picking up for the Naruto live-action movie.
Most recently, we learned that Destin Daniel Cretton will write and direct this anime adaptation. Here’s what we know about this adaptation so far.
Destin Daniel Cretton, who was responsible for co-writing and directing the MCU’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, will now help the Naruto live-action movie. Additionally, Cretton will produce alongside Avi Arad, Ari Arad and Emmy Yu of Arad Productions.
Destin Daniel Cretton even has the approval of Naruto creator, Masashi Kishimoto. Kishimoto notes in a statement, “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 Naturo. 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.”
What Else Do We Know About This Anime/Manga Adaptation?
The article makes no mention of whether Michael Gracey is still on tap to direct the movie. The last we heard from him, via IGN, was in 2018. Gracey gave an update on the progress of the Naruto live-action movie where he shared, “So many Hollywood adaptations of really popular manga series just don’t get it right, and for me, what was really important was that if I was gonna do Naruto, I wanted to actually work with [Naruto creator Masashi] Kishimoto and get a script to a stage where he would look at it and be excited about realizing it… Because no one knows the world better than the person who created it.” That sounds like a promising perspective, in any case. So we hope the movie keeps it regardless of who is involved behind the scenes…
It is much too early for any casting news around the live-action Naruto. But it’s not too early for fans to get their dream casting lists together. Hopefully, we’ll get to hear more about this adaptation soon.
