The Hollywood Reporter reveals that “Naruto,” the iconic manga series, is set for a live-action adaptation, with Lionsgate securing Destin Daniel Cretton, known for “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” to direct.
Creator Masashi Kishimoto expressed his confidence in Cretton, stating, “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 Naruto.”
The project, in development with Lionsgate since late 2015, has garnered considerable anticipation among fans of the original series, which ran from 1999 to 2014 in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine.
“Naruto” follows the journey of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja with the spirit of a nine-tailed demon fox inside him, as he aspires to become the leader of his village.
This adaptation joins recent live-action ventures of beloved anime and manga titles like “One Piece” and “Yu Yu Hakusho (Ghost Fighter),” along with Netflix’s recent release of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” adaptation.