Lionsgate has officially greenlit its live-action Naruto movie, and Sony is now a partner. Sony will co-finance the film and handle international distribution. Production is slated to begin in spring 2027, with Lionsgate continuing to oversee development and production and handle domestic distribution.
The deal puts a major distributor behind the project after years in development. According to an exclusive report, it followed competitive, multi-studio bidding. IGN reports that Lionsgate called Sony a good fit because of its experience with anime and manga. Sony owns Crunchyroll, which helps explain the pairing.
Cretton’s next move after Spider-Man
Destin Daniel Cretton is writing the script and will direct and produce. He arrives with serious box office credentials. Box Office Mojo lists Spider-Man: Brand New Day at about $2.52 billion worldwide. That’s the film he directed for Sony and Marvel. In a statement, Cretton said the team is committed to “capturing everything fans love about Naruto while introducing it to a whole new generation.”
According to ComingSoon, Avi Arad, Ari Arad and Emmy Yu produce for Arad Productions, while Cretton and Jeyun Munford produce for his Hisako banner. Collider notes that no release date has been announced. Filming only starts next spring, so a 2027 release looks unlikely.
Casting is the next thing to watch
There’s still no officially confirmed cast. IGN says Charles Melton was reportedly in talks to play Kakashi in August, which we covered in our Kakashi casting report. A greenlight and a shoot date should speed things up, and the ensemble is the obvious next announcement. Our earlier story on the worldwide casting search for Team 7 covers how the studio is looking for its young leads.
The project also joins a growing list of anime and manga adaptations in production, including Netflix’s live-action Gundam film, which has already started filming. Hollywood’s record with the genre is patchy, but a director with a $2.5 billion hit and two studios sharing the cost suggests this one will get the resources.
When does the live-action Naruto movie start filming?
Production is due to begin in spring 2027. No release date has been announced.
Who is in the cast?
No cast has been officially confirmed. Charles Melton was reportedly in talks to play Kakashi, but neither studio has announced him.
Who distributes the Naruto movie?
Lionsgate handles domestic distribution, and Sony handles international distribution. No UAE or wider Gulf release details have been announced.
