Very good release date news after Naruto live-action movie filming update

If you ever doubted Hollywood’s appetite for anime adaptations, get ready, because the live-action Naruto project is officially picking up speed. Destin Daniel Cretton – yes, the guy behind the current Spider-Man: Brand New Day juggernaut – is confirmed to direct, and apparently, the wait for ninja action on the big screen might not be as endless as we feared.

Naruto's first live-action film is eyeing a start date in early 2027.

Production schedule and what we know (so far)

Here’s the timeline as it stands. Back in November 2024, Lionsgate dropped the news that Destin Daniel Cretton was tapped to adapt Masashi Kishimoto’s legendary manga. Fast forward seven months and Cretton signed on for 'Brand New Day,' making this bloke one of the busiest directors in town at the moment.

The latest word is the Naruto production is aiming to kick off in the first half of 2027. Lionsgate haven’t staked out an official release window yet, but if you do some back-of-the-envelope maths, that points to the film potentially landing in cinemas sometime in 2028. Zero information on casting so far, and the studio is keeping just about every other detail buttoned down. Hardly rare for a project like this, but if they’re hoping for a 2027 start, expect preproduction dominoes to start falling pretty soon.

Why Cretton?

For those who haven’t spent their formative years bingeing shonen anime, Naruto is a sprawling coming-of-age saga about an orphaned ninja, Naruto Uzumaki, who wants to become Hokage – basically the top dog of his village. Between all the clones, demon foxes and training arcs, it’s no small task to adapt, but Cretton’s stock is high after 'Brand New Day' cleaned up at the box office – we’re talking more than $1 billion worldwide and the title of highest-grossing film of 2026.

Kishimoto – that’s the creator of the whole Naruto universe – weighed in on Cretton’s appointment. Here’s what he told The Hollywood Reporter after completing a mini Cretton film marathon of his own:

"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," Kishimoto explained. "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 Naruto."

So we’ve got studio momentum, creator buy-in, and a blockbuster director who’s proven he can handle big stakes. Now it’s just a matter of how long Lionsgate holds their cards before we get anything concrete — like a release date, or even a cast list. For now, production in early 2027 is your best marker.