With One Piece helping to light a fire under the idea of live-action anime adaptations, it seems as though there are plenty of franchises looking to do the same. Alongside the likes of Mobile Suit Gundam, My Hero Academia, Voltron, and Your Name, Naruto and the other ninjas of the Hidden Leaf are planning their live-action debut. Luckily, Team 7 has some serious talent looking to bring them to the silver screen, as Spider-Man: Brand New Day director Destine Daniel Cretton is on the case. In a recent interview, Cretton explained how he is aiming to do justice to the source material, specifically when it comes to the character of Naruto Uzumaki himself.
Recently talking with Rolling Stone, Cretton confirmed that he was keen on exploring the darker side of Naruto’s earlier years: “I think his journey in the story that we are going to tell is something that I find very personal, not only culturally, but emotionally. Naruto’s trajectory, his feelings of being an outsider, the feeling of having an ugliness or a monster or some part of you that you’re ashamed of, and then coming to realize that’s the part that makes you unique, that gives you your power.” The shonen franchise might have some of the biggest battles in any anime franchise, but it was in the emotion of Naruto Uzumaki and the countless other members of the cast that helped the series become such a hit. Considering the Shang-Chi director has also received the approval of series creator Masashi Kishimoto, it seems like Cretton is checking all the right boxes.
It has been quite some time in the Naruto franchise since we last saw the Seventh Hokage painted as an outcast, thanks in part to how he was willing to sacrifice everything for his village. Thanks to housing the Nine-Tailed Fox in his body, the villagers of Konoha constantly saw the titular ninja as a threat to their well-being, keeping him at arm’s length. This fact made for an interesting character trait for Uzumaki, as the likes of Goku, Monkey D. Luffy, Ichigo, and many other shonen heroes would routinely find themselves surrounded by friends and allies on their journeys. While Naruto would eventually find his place with the likes of Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, and others, it took serious time and is sure not to happen immediately in the live-action adaptation.
As of the writing of this article, there has been no word on who is set to actually take on the role of Naruto himself, though Lionsgate is in the process of finding their leading man. A casting call was sent out earlier this month, with the studio looking to cast parts for Team 7 that would see them as older teens. This makes for a big departure from the original series, though it makes sense that some changes would be instituted in the North American adaptation.
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