Live-action ‘Naruto’ is officially happening: Sony teams with Lionsgate as Destin Daniel Cretton’s ninja adaptation gets the green light

Believe it! The live-action Naruto movie is finally moving. Lionsgate has formally greenlit Destin Daniel Cretton’s adaptation of Masashi Kishimoto’s manga, and Sony Pictures is coming aboard to co-finance and handle international distribution, according to reports from Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter. After years of development limbo, the project has the studio backing fans have been waiting for.

For the uninitiated, this has been a very long road. Lionsgate has reportedly been developing a Naruto movie since at least 2015, with Kishimoto attached as an advisor. Cretton was announced as writer and director in early 2024, and then things went quiet. Now the Sony partnership gives the film real muscle, and a firm greenlight is the news fans have been refreshing their feeds for.

The pairing also makes sense on paper. Cretton, who directed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, has a three-year deal with Sony. Sony also owns Crunchyroll, the biggest name in anime streaming. If any studio understands how much this audience cares about getting it right, it’s the one with that much anime infrastructure.

What we know so far

Cretton is writing and directing, and he’s also producing through his company Hisako alongside Jeyun Munford. Avi Arad’s production banner has been attached since the project’s 2024 announcement. When Cretton first signed on, he said he’d always loved that the series pairs big action with heart, humor, and humanity. That’s the right instinct for a story about a lonely, loud kid who just wants to be seen.

Casting is the question on everyone’s mind. Lionsgate and Cretton reportedly launched a global search this summer for the leads, including Team 7’s Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. No names have been announced. One outlet reports that cameras could roll in spring 2027, though that timeline hasn’t been widely confirmed and could simply be rumors.

The hard part still ahead

Let’s be honest about the stakes — live-action anime adaptations have a bruising track record, and the fandom has long memories. Whitewashing, flattened characters, and rushed plots have burned fans before. Naruto is also a sprawling, 700-chapter story built on found family, generational trauma, and the long road from outcast to hero. Cramming that into one film, or even a trilogy, is a serious storytelling challenge.

Cretton’s résumé offers some reason for optimism, however, as Shang-Chi showed he can stage martial arts action with real emotional weight, and his smaller films, like Short Term 12, prove he knows how to make quiet character moments land. Two essential skills for adapting everyone’s favorite ninja epic.

The ninja academy doors are officially open. Whether this one earns its headband is the thing to watch. Until casting news drops, fans will just have to keep the faith, and maybe rewatch the series for the hundredth time.

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]