Believe it! The live-action Naruto movie just took its biggest step yet. Sony Pictures has partnered with Lionsgate to co-finance the film and handle international distribution, and the project is now officially greenlit, with production slated to begin in spring 2027. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news on Tuesday, November 3.
Who does what
The deal came after competitive, multi-studio bidding. Lionsgate keeps overseeing development and production and will handle domestic distribution in the US, while Sony takes the movie to the rest of the world. Destin Daniel Cretton, director of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is directing, and according to The Hollywood Reporter he is also writing the script and producing. Ari Arad and Tetsu Fujimura are among the producers.
Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson said that Sony, “with their deep expertise in manga and anime and global distribution prowess”, is “a perfect partner for Naruto”. Sony Motion Picture Group chairman Tom Rothman noted the studio “had a sweet success this summer with Destin”. Sony, a Japanese company, also owns Crunchyroll.
A road of more than ten years
The project goes way back. Lionsgate secured the adaptation rights in 2015, when Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) was in talks to direct. In July this year, the franchise’s official website opened a global casting search for Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura, and actor Charles Melton was reported to be in final negotiations to play Kakashi Hatake. None of the main trio has been announced yet, and there is no release date.
Masashi Kishimoto ran Naruto in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1999 to 2014, and the manga has sold more than 250 million copies across over 60 countries and territories. The franchise is still going strong, as we covered in Naruto returns in style with manga, anime and a card game; and if you want to reread the series, check out the free chapters from Shueisha’s MANGA MILLION campaign.
Where to buy
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Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Lionsgate, Sony Pictures and Anime News Network.
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