Today, original manga creator Masashi Kishimoto announced that his long-in-development Naruto live-action movie is moving forward. The creator revealed that Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings director Daniel Destin Cretton has boarded the project to write and direct the feature film. As he takes over from previous director Michael Gracey:
“When I heard of Destin’s attachment, it happened to be right after watching a blockbuster action film of his, and I thought he would be the perfect director for Naruto, After enjoying his other films and understanding that his forte is in creating solid dramas about people, I became convinced that there is no other director for Naturo. 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.”
It sounds as if Kishimoto will be heavily involved in the process as they move forward with the project. Early last year, screenwriter Tasha Huo wrote a previous draft of the script. There were some casting rumors regarding that version of the script, but nobody has signed onto the film. It’s unknown which time period this film will take place with Team 7 still children or skip to Naruto: Shippuden with Naruto, Sakara, and Sasuke as teenagers.
Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson added:
“This manga classic is beloved by millions of fans all around the world, and Destin has delivered a vision for the movie that we believe will excite that massive fan base as well as those who are new to it. Avi and I have had the pleasure of working together before and I know that as we collaborate with Destin and the team on Naruto, we are in extraordinary hands.”
Cretton is also hard at work developing Shang-Chi 2 alongside star Simu Liu.
Naruto has no set release date
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
