'Naruto' Movie In The Works With Destin Daniel Cretton Set To Write And Direct

TV & Film

Feb 26

Following the ongoing trend of classic anime receiving live-action adaptations, a live-action film adaptation of the hit manga and anime Naruto has been announced at Lionsgate, with Destin Daniel Cretton attached as its writer and director.

For those not in the know, Cretton is likely most well-known for directing and co-writing the Marvel Studios film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. He is joined at Lionsgate by Jeyun Munford as well as Arad Productions, led by father-son duo Avi and Ari Arad, along with Emmy Yu. All three are currently working on the upcoming live-action Borderlands film as well.

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Naruto is the brainchild of Masashi Kishimoto, focusing on young Naruto Uzumaki as he chases his dream of becoming the Hokage, the powerful leader of the Hidden Leaf Village while also learning to tame and harness the power of the nine-tailed fox demon that resides within him. The manga made its debut in Shonen Jump in 1999 and concluded its run in 2014. The manga also spawned an anime which started airing in 2002, followed by a sequel anime, Naruto Shippuden in 2007, which continued the story of the manga through to its finale in 2017. The series also spawned a sequel manga in 2015 titled Boruto: Naruto Next Generations which was helmed by both Kishimoto and Mikio Ikemoto. This manga received a sequel in 2023 titled Boruto: Two Blue Vortex which is currently ongoing in Shonen Jump. A Boruto anime was released in 2017 but is largely maligned by fans for its pacing and overreliance on filler. The anime went on hiatus in 2023, likely so its animation studio, Pierrot, could prioritize work on Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War.

Airing across multiple networks, starting from Cartoon Network to Disney XD to Adult Swim, Naruto has gained a massive and incredibly dedicated following that only continues to grow, proving why the series stands tall as one of the “Big Three” of shonen anime, alongside One Piece and Bleach, and with Cretton now taking on the task of directing a live-action adaptation, he has some incredibly big shoes to fill. But with Kishimoto himself giving his formal blessing to Cretton, fans will have to wait and see how this adaptation turns out.

Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations are available to stream on Crunchyroll and Hulu.

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