The live-action Naruto movie is officially moving forward. Lionsgate has launched a worldwide casting search to find the three actors who will play Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, with additional casting for supporting roles to follow.
Destin Daniel Cretton, the filmmaker behind Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and this month’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is writing and directing the adaptation. In a statement announcing the search, Cretton said it is an honor to bring Masashi Kishimoto’s world and characters to the big screen in live action for the first time, and that he is thrilled to kick off the global hunt for Team 7.
Kishimoto’s reaction might be the best part of the announcement. The Naruto creator said “miracles are happening to me, one after another,” calling Cretton’s involvement something he still cannot believe and adding that he is eagerly anticipating the passionate actors the search will bring, because he cannot wait to meet his characters in the film.
This is the first official studio movement on casting since Lionsgate announced the project with Cretton attached in February 2024. Kishimoto gave the director his blessing early on after meeting him in Tokyo, saying Cretton’s strength in building grounded human drama convinced him there was no other choice to helm the film. Industry insider Daniel Richtman reported earlier this year that filming is targeting a late 2026 start, which lines up with Cretton wrapping his Spider-Man commitments this summer.
Naruto has printed over 250 million copies across more than 60 countries and territories, and this adaptation has been in some form of development at Lionsgate since 2015, cycling through directors and drafts before Cretton took over and retooled the script he co-wrote with Tasha Huo. An open worldwide search for Team 7 signals the studio is doing this the hard way rather than slotting in established names, the same approach that helped Netflix’s One Piece win over skeptical anime fans.
Avi Arad, Ari Arad, and Emmy Yu are producing for Arad Productions with Jeremy Latcham. Cretton produces alongside Jeyun Munford through his company Hisako. No release date has been announced.
Sources: Variety | ComicBook | The Hollywood Reporter
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