Naruto live-action movie lands at Lionsgate and Sony after a bidding war — with Spider-Man 4’s director at the helm
After a bruising bidding war, Naruto’s live-action leap to the big screen is moving ahead — with a heavyweight partner now co-funding it and handling the overseas rollout.
Here we go again — another anime classic is making the leap to live-action, but this time, it's not one of those half-hearted streaming projects no one asked for. It's Naruto, and yes, it's really headed for cinemas, not the discount bin at some random streaming service.
The man in charge? Destin Daniel Cretton, the director behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day (not to be confused with the MCU ones everyone remembers). After years of talk and false starts — and what was apparently an actual bidding war between studios — Lionsgate and Sony Pictures have finally hammered out a deal to co-finance it. Lionsgate's looking after the film in the US, while Sony picks up the rest of the world. If you're trying to keep score, that's essentially the two big houses that care about global box office putting some actual money into it.
Who's Making This, and When?
Lionsgate only gave the green light after locking in Cretton, who's set to write, direct, and produce — so if it all goes sideways, there's no spread-the-blame here. Production is due to kick off in spring 2027. No big casting reveals yet, and you know that secrecy will only fuel about a thousand angry Reddit threads between now and the first trailer.
Production on the Naruto live-action movie begins spring 2027.
Naruto: A Ridiculously Big Deal
If you're wondering why this particular adaptation is a bit of a moment, here's the shorthand: Masashi Kishimoto launched the manga back in 1999, and since then, Naruto has become one of the highest-grossing anime franchises ever, with over 250 million copies sold across more than 60 countries. There's an entire industry basically propped up by Naruto merch, not to mention the anime spinoffs, games, and the cosplay headaches at every con since the early noughties.
If you somehow missed the premise, Naruto Uzumaki is a scrappy ninja kid determined to become his village leader — which is standard shonen fare, sure, but there's a reason this particular series keeps cropping up in pop culture. All the friendship, loyalty, and multiple-count-'em epic battles are still drawing in new fans two decades on.
What the Director Has To Say
Cretton, by the way, is an actual fan, not just another Hollywood name cashing in. He made that clear in a statement released alongside the announcement:
“As a longtime fan of NARUTO, I’ve always loved that beneath the extraordinary action is a story filled with heart, humor, and humanity. Kishimoto-sensei created a world where unlikely heroes do extraordinary things, and that’s what makes it so special. Lionsgate has been an incredible partner, and I’m thrilled to reunite with the fantastic team at Sony. Together, we’re committed to capturing everything fans love about NARUTO while introducing it to a whole new generation. I can’t wait for everyone to see what we’re creating.”
On the producing side, you've got Avi Arad (who's spent about half his career wrangling superhero films into existence), along with Ari Arad and Emmy Yu for Arad Productions. Cretton himself, along with Jeyun Munford for Hisako, rounds out the production crew. It's a stacked team — and the kind of behind-the-scenes lineup they probably hope will reassure fans that they're not just churning out another forgettable adaptation destined for the YouTube 'Top 10 Worst Anime Live-Actions' list.