Spider-Man: Brand New Day director Destin Daniel Cretton is making a live-action version of Naruto next, and Charles Melton is set to star.
Update: Director Destin Daniel Cretton has managed to change the doomy narrative surrounding superhero movies over the summer, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day making billions within seconds of its release in cinemas.
Next, Cretton is working on an adaptation of the hit manga and anime Naruto, which was first announced over two years ago. It sounds as though work on the live-action movie has now begun in earnest, with a report that Charles Melton, who’s appeared in the likes of Netflix series Beef and Alex Garland’s harrowing Warfare, is set to play a major role in Crettin’s Naruto.
There’s no word as to whether he’ll play the title character, Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja. But The Hollywood Reporter, which broke the story, says that Melton is both a fan of anime and manga and is also highly proficient in taekwondo. That makes him an ideal fit for a fantastical action adventure filled with lots of fighting.
It’s said that Naruto will begin production in February 2027. We’ll bring you more news as we get it.
Our original story follows…
26th February 2024: Live-action remakes are all the rage in Hollywood right now. Even 2016’s Moana is getting a live-action remake this year. Hollywood is also increasingly investing into live-action anime adaptation, the most recent one being Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender which premiered on 23rd February.
Now, Variety reports that Shang-Chi And The Legend Of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton has signed a deal with Lionsgate to direct a live-action film adaptation of Masashi Kishimoto’s classic manga Naruto.
The long-running manga series follows teenage ninja Naruto Uzumaki, who dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader and protector of his village.
There has been a Naruto TV series and a whopping 11 theatrical films in the manga’s native Japan. The Hollywood version was announced back in 2015 and was originally supposed to be directed by The Greatest Showman director Michael Gracey, but Cretton has now replaced Gracey as director. Cretton will also write the film.
Cretton recently travelled to Japan and met with Kishimoto, who gave him his blessing.
“It was a true honor to meet Kishimoto-san in Tokyo and hear his expansive vision for his creation,” Cretton said of the trip. “We are very excited to collaborate and bring ‘Naruto’ to the big screen.”
Kishimoto seems excited about the project as well.
“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’,” the creator said.
“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,” Kishimoto continued. “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.”
There’s no release date for Naruto yet and Cretton is in high-demand in Hollywood. He’s still attached to the Shang-Chi sequel and is helming Marvel’s Wonder Man TV show. Out of these, only Wonder Man is in production, but the production recently suffered a tragedy when a crew member fell to their death while production was paused.
More on Naruto as we hear it.
