It’s the age of the adaptation. And one particular live-action anime/manga adaptation has been in the zeitgeist for quite a while. We first heard reports of a live-action Naruto movie in 2015. At the time, Lionsgate was in negotiations for the film rights to the franchise. And it was reported that Michael Gracey would helm the live-action Naruto movie, acting as its director. But since that exciting announcement, very little progress has happened with this film. But, here we are, over eight years later, and finally, it looks like momentum is picking up for the Naruto live-action movie. Most recently, we learned the film officially has a writer. Here’s what we know about this adaptation so far.
The Live-Action Naruto Movie Gets an Update
In its “10 Screenwriters to Watch for 2023” article, Variety highlighted Tasha Huo, who wrote another anticipated upcoming movie, Red Sonja. The profile shares, “After developing scripts for Red Sonja, Naruto and an animated version of Tomb Raider, Huo says she considers it a fan’s dream come true to adapt beloved properties.” And the publication additionally notes, “Next up for the writer is Naruto, a feature adaptation of the iconic anime for Lionsgate.”
Obviously, this doesn’t give us much information about the Naruto live-action movie. But, it does seem to indicate that progress on the film will happen soon. And, after so long without any news at all, it is good to hear the Naruto live-action film is still in development.
What Else Do We Know About This Anime/Manga Adaptation?
The article makes no mention of whether Michael Gracey is still on tap to direct the movie. The last we heard from him, via IGN, was in 2018. Gracey gave an update on the progress of the Naruto live-action movie where he shared, “So many Hollywood adaptations of really popular manga series just don’t get it right, and for me, what was really important was that if I was gonna do Naruto, I wanted to actually work with [Naruto creator Masashi] Kishimoto and get a script to a stage where he would look at it and be excited about realizing it… Because no one knows the world better than the person who created it.” That sounds like a promising perspective, in any case. So we hope the movie keeps it regardless of who is involved behind the scenes.
Of course, it is much too early for any casting news around the live-action Naruto. But it’s not too early for fans to get their dream casting lists together. Hopefully, we’ll get to hear more about this adaptation soon.