Lionsgate’s live-action Naruto adaptation has been in development since at least 2015, and massive steps forward in production have pushed it back into the public eye. That’s wonderful, Lionsgate, but is this really a good idea? Sometimes, these ideas are better in theory than in execution.
Anime and live-action counterparts have had a long, tired history full of defeat. 20th Century FOX’s disastrous Dragonball: Evolution released in 2009, and was followed by Paramount Pictures’ truly terrible The Last Airbender in 2010. These back-to-back cinematic failures still succeeded in one important way: They warned others studios to err on the side of caution when announcing their own anime-inspired works. Netflix’s multiple attempts to recreate anime—namely Death Note, Cowboy Bebop, and Avatar: The Last Airbender—act as a reminder that just because something could be adapted across mediums doesn’t mean it should be. There are other live-action anime adaptations aside from Naruto that have been announced, though that blood-chilling, creeping sense of fear for the fate of the Naruto movie is unshakable.
Why is Lionsgate even working on a Naruto movie to begin with? It’s a curious choice that definitely adds something different to their portfolio, but why were they so attracted to Naruto? Better yet, why are they still pushing to bring this particular title into fruition? Not every anime needs to be given a Westernized counterpart. With Netflix’s One Piece standing as an outlier (or an example) amongst its peers, a live-action Naruto movie is questionable at best. Naruto’s iconic status isn’t something that Lionsgate should overconfidently gamble on. The studio must prove that they fully understand Naruto down to its core and are prepared to pour intense dedication into preserving its essence.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton will sit at the helm of the Naruto live-action movie as its director, and admittedly, the news is reassuring, to a degree. In a statement given to The Hollywood Reporter, Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto confirmed that Cretton is the “perfect” director for the movie, and his enthusiastic blessing is a promising sign. “I became convinced that there is no other director for Naruto,” Kishimoto said, “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.”
Cretton’s previous work on Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi eases some anxiety about the overall quality of how Naruto may fare on the big screen. He’ll be joined by screenwriter Tashu Huo (The Witcher: Blood Origin, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft), who will join him in crafting the script. The early stages of production aren’t raising any red flags just yet. It’s the impending means of how Naruto will be re-envisioned as a movie that are far more worrying.
The primary point of concern is how the creative team will translate Naruto into a feature film. There’s immense pressure on Lionsgate, as they’ve self-assumed the challenge of bringing the show’s extensive lore to life. Naruto’s nine seasons were broken up into a total of 220 episodes—what’s the best plan of attack when mapping out the scope of the movie, and what sacrifices will have to be made for the sake of a run time?
Films are constricted in what they are able to accomplish due to their limited time. When considering the complexities of the the Naruto universe, a movie could be too brief of a storytelling medium. There’s always the possibility that the live-action Naruto movie could be the flagship for a cinematic universe, yet there’s no need to pursue one. Lionsgate is at risk of under-developing Naruto due to the limitations associated with filmmaking, even on a blockbuster level. Will there be enough time to securely and authentically dive into the nuances of the series? Or will such a movie pick and choose only the most popular aspects of the show to put emphasis on?
Given the choice between a movie and a television series, Naruto might be better fit for a series. Thinking about the pacing and overwhelming amount of time that Naruto dedicates to its filler episodes, reframing the anime through a filmic lens may rush it along too quickly. It’s perfectly understandable that a movie may try to cut out the filler aspect that has been a divisive staple of the anime, but in this rare instance, these “skippable” components are necessary when embracing the animated series’ most recognized traits.
The narrative structure of Naruto inherently feels episodic, and a live-action television series would be the strongest means of revisiting the anime from another angle. As a television series, Naruto could expound on what the movie might introduce and take its time with each character’s arc. Even then, when it comes down to how Naruto should make its debut as live-action project, which is unspoken-yet-obvious: It shouldn’t.
Over the course of the manga and multiple anime, Naruto was able to say everything it needed to. There’s no real reason why there should be a live-action movie in the works. Nothing new could be brought to the story that hasn’t already been told. It’s already too late to attempt to recapture the originality of the series. A live-action Naruto movie feels unnecessary and somewhat out of touch when it comes to capitalizing on the anime’s popularity. It comes across as unoriginal and uninspired, even with bright prospects attached to the pre-production phase.
If the film decides to invite open-ended or new concepts to mingle with canon, the chances taken could jeopardize how faithful the remake may be to its source of inspiration. It’s wise to remember how fans responded to similar choices before, such as the mixed attitudes towards Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.
To quote the Naruto Uzumaki himself, “While you’re alive, you need a reason for your existence.” Perhaps Lionsgate should internalize that when considering the Naruto movie’s need to exist in the first place. There’s nothing wrong with leaving Naruto untouched and allowing the anime to preserve its self-made legacy. In fact, maybe Naruto is better off that way.
(featured image: Pierrot)
