A live-action Naruto film has been in the works for what seems like forever. Talks about bringing the popular manga and anime series to the big screen first began in 2015. After nearly a decade of development, it seems the film is officially moving forward. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Destin Daniel Cretton has just signed on as its writer and director.
Destin Daniel Cretton Will Bring “Naruto” to the Big Screen
Cretton is no stranger to creating live-action adaptations. The filmmaker is most well-known for co-writing and directing Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which is based on the Marvel Comics character Shang-Chi. He also directed two episodes of the Disney+ series American Born Chinese, which is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang.
Cretton’s experience with fantasy-action projects made him seem like the perfect choice for adapting Naruto. The franchise, which began as a manga series in 1999, centers around a young ninja named Naruto Uzumaki, who has a monster sealed inside of him. After being seen as an outcast all of his life, Naruto dreams of earning everyone’s respect by becoming his village’s leader.
Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto, agrees that Cretton was the right pick for the film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kishimoto made the realization after seeing one of Cretton’s “blockbuster action film[s].” He only became more convinced of Cretton’s potential after becoming familiar with his other projects. However, what ultimately made Kishimoto give Cretton his “blessing” was meeting him in person.
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.
Masashi Kishimoto
Other details surrounding the live-action Naruto film, including the release date and cast, have yet to be revealed.
