Last week, director Destin Daniel Cretton, in partnership with Lionsgate, officially announced that a global casting call had gone out for the Naruto live-action movie. The lead roles would be in Team 7, which includes Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha. Many fans were wondering whether this live-action film would take place during the original Naruto timeline, when the team is only 12, or when they are much older, at 16, in Naruto: Shippuden.
We have learned that the casting call will indeed be for when the group is 16, and that it is looking for 18+ adults to play the three heroes. As well as looking for an all Asian cast for the roles:
[NARUTO] – Male, 16-20 to play 16. Asian or Mixed Race Asian. Lean, athletic, energetic, expressive, and fearless. Must speak English fluently.
[SASUKE] – Male, 16-20 to play 16. Asian or Mixed Race Asian. Lean, athletic, energetic, expressive, and fearless. Must speak English fluently.
[SAKURA] – Female, 16-20 to play 16. Asian or Mixed Race Asian. Athletic, toned, strong-willed, elegant, and intelligent. Must speak English fluently.
It honestly makes more sense to simply do the Shippuden timeline than to start when they are only 12 in the original series due to child labor laws. Production is currently slated to begin in January 2027 and run through August 2027 in the United Kingdom.
Naruto has no set release date
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