Anime

Naruto’s Live-Action Movie Shares Unfortunate Update

The world of live-action anime adaptations is only continuing to grow, with recent success like Netflix’s One Piece leading the charge for this new medium to expand in ways that many believed would be impossible. Announced in recent years, the Hidden Leaf Village of Konoha is set to receive a live-action movie from Lionsgate. Helmed by Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton, little has been revealed regarding when we can expect this new take on the Seventh Hokage to arrive. Unfortunately, fans might be waiting longer than expected to see this new take on the shonen classic.

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While Cretton will be helming the project from the director’s chair and taking on the role as co-writer, the live-action ninja movie will also be brought to life by writer Tasha Huo. Having previously worked on Netflix’s Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, Huo recently sat down for an interview with ScreenRant, discussing the status of the upcoming Naruto film. Unfortunately, Tasha didn’t have good news for anime fans as she stated that she had no updates to share on the Uzumaki clan returning to theaters, “I wish I did. I also can’t wait to see it.” At present, there is no release window for the live-action anime adaptation, so we might be waiting years to see Naruto bust out a Rasengan in the “real world.” While it has yet to be revealed how much of Naruto’s source material the live-action adaptation will cover, those early stories are still considered some of the best material from the shonen franchise to date.

Naruto’s Live-Action History

While there has never been a live-action Naruto movie and/or television series, the Hidden Leaf has been surprisingly brought to the real world. In Japan, there have been quite a few stage plays that focus on the various arcs from the original series and its sequel, Naruto: Shippuden. While there have yet to be any plays focused on the Boruto series, the sequel following Naruto’s son and the next generation of ninjas, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if a production is created to focus on the recent storylines.

As for the Naruto franchise overall, the series has continued in the pages of its manga thanks to Boruto: Two Blue Vortex. Unfortunately, the anime can’t say the same as Naruto Uzumaki and his son remain absent from the airwaves. While there has been confirmation that Studio Pierrot will be returning to the world of Konoha with the anime’s comeback, no release window has been revealed. Currently, Pierrot is working on both Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War’s final season and the return of Black Clover, meaning it is far from assured that the ninja series will return in 2026. Considering where Boruto: Naruto Next Generations left off, the anime’s highly anticipated comeback will have some major territory to cover, as Konoha has changed quite a bit in the manga since.

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