Dattebayo! 11 years since we first learned that Lionsgate was developing a live-action Naruto movie, and two years since Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton came aboard to pen and helm a big-screen adaptation of Masashi Kishimoto’s iconic manga, we have a very exciting update on the project. Taking to Instagram last night, Cretton — whose latest blockbuster, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, hits cinemas this month — revealed that a global casting search has begun to find his movie’s leads: ninja kid Naruto and fellow Team 7 squad members Sasuke and Sakura.
“Kishimoto-sensei’s stories have inspired generations of fans around the globe, and it’s an honor to bring his world and characters to the big screen in live action for the very first time,” said Cretton in his post, which came accompanied by a picture of himself with Kishimoto. “I’m thrilled to kick off this worldwide casting search for our Team 7 and to bring the incredible universe of Naruto to life.” Added Naruto creator Kishimoto: “Right now, miracles are happening to me, one after another. My work, Naruto is truly, truly becoming a Hollywood movie! And an even greater miracle is that the film will be directed by the one and only Destin Daniel Cretton. I still cannot believe it! If so many miracles have already come together, then let us hope for even more. I am eagerly looking forward to the miraculous encounters that will bring us extraordinary and passionate actors! I cannot wait to meet my characters in the film!”
For anyone who may have somehow let Naruto pass them by, Masashi Kishimoto’s manga — which has sold over 250 million copies to date and spawned wildly successful anime series and movies already — follows the travails of young Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja from Hidden Leaf Village, as he seeks to become his community’s leader, their Hokage. Oh, and just to complicate matters, there also happens to be a nine-tailed fox of immense power tucked away inside our boy Naruto, too, which as you can imagine ensures the lad’s path to greatness isn’t exactly a smooth one.
Given Cretton’s action moviemaking chops, abiding love for Naruto, and the vast search he’s undertaking to find the right leads for his adaptation — a patience-led process that’s most recently yielded great rewards for Netflix’s One Piece live-action series — the omens are with this one as pre-production ramps up. Here’s hoping the result will be something Naruto-tally awesome and that Cretton’s film doesn’t leave us shouting Narut-NOOOO! (Sorry.)
