Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, American Born Chinese) will write and direct Lionsgate’s long-gestating live-action movie based on Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto.
In Naruto, Kishimoto combined a ruthless refinement of shonen manga’s themes of perseverance and drama with the kid-irresistible story of the class clown at a school for ninjas, creating an internationally beloved hit manga and subsequent anime adaptations. Lionsgate announced it was in development of a live-action movie a year after the manga’s 2014 conclusion, but with little movement on the project in the decade since.
Boasting writer and director credits on most of his projects, Cretton has already demonstrated a deft hand with both action directing and molding adaptations, and that work seems to have won an enthusiastic approval from Kishimoto. According to a statement given to The Hollywood Reporter, the mangaka learned of Crettin’s involvement right after watching “a blockbuster action film of his,” and thought he would be a perfect fit for Naruto.
“After enjoying his other films and understanding that his forte is in creating solid dramas about people,” said Kishimoto, “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.”
That “blockbuster action film of his” is almost certainly the MCU’s Shang-Chi, and Cretton is currently filming a Wonder Man TV series for Marvel Studios, with a Shang-Chi sequel somewhere on the horizon. It’s not clear how the Naruto film will fit into that schedule — but it’s safe to say that you have several years to work on your opening night cosplay.