Naruto’s live-action adaptation is still on the cards, with Lionsgate acknowledging the project in a short-and-sweet tease during CinemaCon.
Narutois one of the next iconicanime showsdue to get adapted by Hollywood. It was only a matter of time, since theshonen animeis known as one of the “big three”, alongside Bleach and One Piece due to rampant, enduring popularity.
It’s a meagre acknowledgement, but it sounds like Lionsgate is making substantial investment in the franchise. Naruto definitely isn’t something you just makeonefilm out of — there’s fuel for years and years’ worth of movies. As many as Lionsgate would like, really.
Masashi Kishimoto’s manga runs for hundreds and hundreds of chapters, and the show does likewise. Such length is part of why it became engrained as one of the best anime — fans invested themselves over years in the ninja protagonist.
That all said, the film needs to exist first. Although live-action anime has gotten better, the improvements have come in TV form. Netflix’sOne Pieceis refreshingly accurate to the vibe of the manga, and the recent Parasyte: The Grey is another win on the service.
But we shouldn’t forget Cowboy Bebop and Death Note happened. Naruto could go either way, but at least there’s movement. Check out ourupcoming animeguide for what animation is coming your way this year.
Related:
Anthony McGlynn is a Senior Anime Writer on Dexerto’s UK team. An expert on animes like Demon Slayer, Solo Leveling and My Hero Academia, he also has over 10 years experience covering games and pop culture for outlets such as Variety, IGN, Den of Geek, PCGamesN, PCGamer, The Digital Fix, and many more. You can contact him at: anthony.mcglynn@dexerto.com
