Highlights
- The Naruto live-action film production has started a global casting campaign for Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno.
- Creator Masashi Kishimoto is actively involved in the production and casting process.
- The Naruto live-action project brings together experienced adaptation talent, including Avi Arad and Arad Productions.
Lionsgate and director Destin Daniel Cretton have launched a worldwide casting search, starting from July 9, for the lead roles in the live-action adaptation of Naruto. The call targets actors for Team 7, consisting of protagonist Naruto Uzumaki, deuteragonist Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno, from Masashi Kishimoto’s acclaimed manga.
The casting campaign is the project’s most concrete pre-development step in more than a decade of Naruto live-action film’s incubation. The movie was first announced in 2015, and almost nine years later, in February 2024, Shang-Chi director Daniel Cretton signed to write and direct Lionsgate’s Naruto project.
Masashi Kishimoto/Scott/Shueisha MASASHI KISHIMOTO / 2007 SHIPPUDEN
Cretton is also working on the upcoming Marvel movie Spider-Man: Brand New Day. He confirmed the search for Team 7 in a social media post, with Lionsgate stating that casting for supporting characters will follow.
Naruto Live-Action: Creators Emphasize Authenticity
Cretton has consistently framed the adaptation as a collaborative effort to bring Kishimoto’s world to the silver screen. When his attachment was announced in 2024, the filmmaker said meeting Kishimoto in Tokyo and hearing “his expansive vision” for Naruto was “a true honor."
According to Cretton, the adaptation carries weight because Kishimoto’s work has left a lasting impact on fans across generations and regions. Kishimoto, in a statement distributed alongside the casting announcement, praised Cretton. “An even greater miracle is that the film will be directed by the one and only Destin Daniel Cretton,” he said.
Kishimoto will be attached to the production and the casting. The approach also follows the recent success of Netflix’s One Piece live-action, where franchise creator Eiichiro Oda was involved in choosing actors.
Anime and manga IPs have long been considered a source for live-action remakes, despite some like the Death Note remake failing to appeal to audiences. The One Piece live-action performed strong, with the latest season pulling 16.8M views in 136.2M hours watched in its debut week.
While the full creative lineup and an expected release window remain unannounced, the team’s track record signals a franchise-style approach. Avi Arad, the founder of Marvel Studios and an iconic figure in comic adaptations, is producing the film with his son Ari Arad and Emmy Yu through Arad Productions.
The company has long been attached to the Spider-Man franchise adaptations, including films like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and The Amazing Spider-Man movies. Cretton is producing through his company Hisako with Jeyun Munford.
Cretton has already become a popular name in adaptation films, with the success of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. His global casting search aligns with that creative direction as well. Rather than relying on established stars, a global talent hunt broadens the pool for younger and new actors capable of truthfully portraying the young members of Naruto’s Team 7.
The Naruto live-action is based on Kishimoto’s original manga IP, which ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1999 to 2014, and expanded into an anime series, feature films, novels, and video games. The source manga has sold more than 250M copies across 60 countries and territories, as of 2019.
