Summary
- A live-action Naruto movie in the works at Lionsgate.
- The movie will be written and directed by Shang-Chi's Destin Daniel Cretton.
- Naruto began as a long-running manga series, eventually expanding into animated television, movies, and more.
A Naruto movie is now in development. The iconic Japanese property originally began in 1999 as a manga series by Masashi Kishimoto, following the adventures of a young ninja who strives to become a village leader. The manga was adapted into the anime show of the same name, which ran for 220 episodes between 2002 and 2007. Since then, the franchise has expanded to include multiple television shows, movies, video games, and novels.
Per Lionsgate, a live-action Naruto movie is officially moving forward at the studio. The company has tapped Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' Destin Daniel Cretton to write and direct the project. Cretton will also produce with Jeyun Munford through his company Hisako, alongside Jeremy Latcham and Arad Productions' Avi Arad, Ari Arad, and Emmy Yu.
The Naruto Movie Must Navigate Dangerous Waters
Alongside Bleach and One Piece, Naruto is considered one of Shonen Jump's Big 3 manga properties. As such, Cretton and his collaborators will have to tread carefully as the project starts to come to fruition. This is especially true considering the fact that this will be the first official live-action adaptation of the material, though more than a dozen animated Naruto movies have been made previously. The track record for fan reception to live-action English-language reimaginings of iconic anime and manga titles reveals that this may not be an easy road.
10 Reasons Naruto Was the Best of Shonen Jump's Big 3
Naruto has a lot going for it, beating out fellows One Piece and Bleach in many categories and making a great argument for the best of the Big Three.
Previous English-language adaptations have suffered both commercially and critically in recent years. Even the titles that aren't met with outright hostility from critics or audiences don't always become financially successful. Below, check out how select live-action titles have fared on Rotten Tomatoes and, where applicable, at the box office, keeping in mind that most movies need to gross at least twice their budget in order to turn a profit.
Title |
RT Score |
RT Audience Score |
Budget |
Worldwide Box Office |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Speed Racer (2008) |
42% |
60% |
$120 million |
$93.9 million |
Dragonball Evolution (2009) |
14% |
20% |
$30 million |
$56.5 million |
Ghost in the Shell (2017) |
42% |
51% |
$110 million |
$169.8 million |
Death Note (2017) |
36% |
23% |
N/A |
N/A |
Alita: Battle Angel (2019) |
62% |
91% |
~$200 million |
$405 million |
Cowboy Bebop (2021) |
45% |
60% |
N/A |
N/A |
One Piece (2023) |
85% |
95% |
N/A |
N/A |
On top of a possibly hostile audience base, there will be many other challenges that the new movie has to face, not the least of which is the decision of which elements of which Naruto story arcs to include in a single feature-length project. It seems likely that the movie is being developed with the potential for continuing its story in multiple sequels, but the fate of those sequels will ultimately depend on the success of the original. While it's possible to win over fans of the manga and the anime, there are still many ways the movie could go wrong.
Source: Lionsgate
