Naruto Live-Action Film Is Officially In The Works; Shang-Chi Director Destin Daniel Cretton Roped In!

After being in limbo for a long time, the live-action adaptation of Naruto has been officially confirmed to be in production.

Lionsgate, the studio behind the project, has roped in Destin Daniel Cretton, known for his work on the Marvel film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” to direct as well as pen the upcoming Naruto live-action film.

Joining Cretton in bringing Naruto to life are producers Jeyun Munford, Avi Arad, Ari Arad, and Emmy Yu.

Masashi Kishimoto, the mangaka of Naruto, expressed his enthusiasm on Destin’s involvement in the film, stating, “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.“

In a previous update it was revealed that Tasha Huo will serve as the screenwriter for the film.

Lionsgate announced the development of a live-action film with Avi Arad through his production company Arad Productions in July 2015. 

On Dec 17, 2016, Kishimoto announced that he has been asked to co-develop the film.

Naruto is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It was serialized in Shueisha’s shonen manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump from September 1999 to November 2014, with its chapters collected in 72 tankobon volumes.

The story is told in two parts: the first is set in Naruto’s pre-teen years (volumes 1–27), and the second in his teens (volumes 28–72).

The series is based on two one-shot manga by Kishimoto: Karakuri (1995), and Naruto (1997).

Part I of the manga was adapted into an anime television series by Pierrot and Aniplex, which ran for 220 episodes from October 2002 to February 2007 on TV Tokyo. A second series, which adapts material from Part II of the manga, is titled Naruto: Shippuden and ran on TV Tokyo for 500 episodes from February 2007 to March 2017.

Source: Hollywood Reporter