Summary

• A new director/writer has been confirmed for the Naruto live-action movie, with MCU alum Destin Daniel Cretton taking the helm.
• The film was announced in 2015, and after nearly a decade the film is still in early development.
• Delays are primarily due to a lack of a good script and a desire to do justice to the beloved anime franchise.

The planned live-action Naruto movie was announced, but little news has come regarding the anime adaptation. Starting out as a manga series from Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto is the story of a young ninja ostracized from his village due to a demonic fox housed inside his body. Naruto was soon adapted into an anime series, and this helped earn the franchise a passionate worldwide following, that it still enjoys today, despite the main series having already concluded.

As one of the premier anime exports in the West, Naruto is prime material for Hollywood adaptation, but it certainly isn't the first Japanese property to attract international suitors. Dragon Ball Z gave rise to Dragonball Evolution, Scarlett Johansson starred in Ghost in the Shell and Netflix released a live-action version of Death Note. The common denominator between that trio of movies is a distinct lack of quality, but there remain a handful of Western anime productions in the pipeline, including the long-awaited Naruto movie.

The Naruto Live-Action Movie Latest News

A New Writer/Director Signs On For Naruto

Though the project previously announced another writer, the latest update sees the live-action Naruto movie add a director and writer from Lionsgate. The long-gestating anime adaptation will now be directed and written by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' Destin Daniel Cretton. Cretton will also serve as a producer on the project alongside the likes of Jeyun Munford, Jeremy Latcham, Avi Arad, and Emmy Yu.

The Naruto Live-Action Movie Is Confirmed

The Live-Action Film Was Announced In 2015

It's been the better part of a decade since the Naruto movie was announced by Lionsgate, with the official reveal coming in mid-2015. Since projects are announced all the time which never come to fruition, it seemed entirely possible that the project was simply not going to happen. However, the arrival of a new screenwriter and director is proof that the Naruto movie is moving forward, albeit much slower than anyone could have anticipated.

The Naruto Live-Action Movie Production Status (& Who Is Involved)

An MCU Alum Will Now Write & Direct The Naruto Movie

Considering recent updates, the live-action Naruto movie is still in the very early days of pre-production, and it will likely be a while before it moves forward. The new script draft is an exciting update, but it does indicate that the movie has yet to fully solidify, and there is no way to accurately predict exactly when it will begin to shift into production. The movie has already been simmering for nearly a decade, and there is clearly no rush to get Naruto rolling.

Although details have been scarce, Avi Arad is still set to produce through his own company. Arad is most widely associated with Sony's Marvel releases and also worked on the live-action Ghost In The Shell adaptation. As well as giving the Naruto movie a sense of legitimacy, Arad's involvement promises high-production values and polished action set-pieces. Destin Daniel Cretton is now slated to direct as well as write, and he is no stranger to action films, having directed Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Michael Gracey was the first director to sign on, but he has since departed the project.

Why Has The Naruto Live Action Movie Been In Development For So Long?

Various Delays Have Kept Naruto From Becoming A Reality

Though it may seem easy to adapt such a popular property, the main thing that has been holding up the live-action Naruto film is that a good story has yet to materialize. Many other live-action anime adaptations have been met with derision by fans, and original director Michael Gracey didn't want to move forward unless things were right. In 2018, Gracey explained that "until that script is at a level that I’m excited about, I have no interest in destroying an amazing franchise" (via Collider), and that could explain why the live-action Naruto movie has languished in production hell for so long.