Naruto: Lionsgate Teases the Anime's Live-Action Potential

Naruto will make its live-action film debut under director Destin Daniel Cretton.

When it comes to Naruto, there are few other series that can imagine its level of fame. Since the series went live under Masashi Kishimoto, the Hidden Leaf Village has become an icon. From its manga to its anime and novels, the lore of Naruto is stronger now than ever. These days, all eyes are on its live-action future as Lionsgate is working on the project, and it seems the production company is hopeful about the future.

The confession comes from CinemaCon this year as the theater exhibition hit Las Vegas, Nevada. ComicBook was there to get all the updates, and when Lionsgate took to the stage, it was there the company mentioned Naruto.

"[Naruto provides] endless possibilities for future chapters," Lionsgate touted during the event. Sadly, no other details were given about the projects during CinemaCon. We do know that Destin Daniel Cretton is overseeing the adaptation, and they will co-write the script.

Of course, the revelation sparked curiosity, and Naruto fans were quickly addressed by Kishimoto himself. The creator of Naruto gave his full support to Cretton in a letter, suggesting the director was the perfect pick for the job.

"When I heard of Destin's attachment, it happened to be right after watching a blockbuster action film of his, and I thought he would be the perfect director for Naruto. 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 Naturo. In actually meeting Destin, I also found him to be an open-minded director who was willing to embrace my input, and felt strongly that we would be able to cooperate together in the production process," Kishimoto shared. 

Currently, Naruto has no set release date where its live-action series is concerned as development is ongoing. The project will join Hollywood's long list of live-action anime takes from Dragonball Evolution to Death Note and One Piece. In recent years, companies like Netflix have had better success in adapting anime by bringing more creatives in who are fans of the original titles. So hopefully, Cretton will continue the streak with Naruto.

If you are not caught up with Naruto, the epic series is easy to find. The hit anime and its sequels are streaming on Hulu as well as Crunchyroll. So for more info on the series, you can read its official synopsis below:

"Twelve years ago the Village Hidden in the Leaves was attacked by a fearsome threat. A nine-tailed fox spirit claimed the life of the village leader, the Hokage, and many others. Today, the village is at peace and a troublemaking kid named Naruto is struggling to graduate from Ninja Academy. His goal may be to become the next Hokage, but his true destiny will be much more complicated. The adventure begins now!"

What do you think about this Naruto teaser? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

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