In the world of anime and pop culture in general, there aren’t many series that have garnered more global attention and recognition than Naruto. Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto and published in Weekly Shonen Jump, Naruto has become the biggest Ninja story of all time, and while its anime ended in 2017, a new massive project for the Naruto franchise is in the works, and is officially bringing the series back. This new project is a Naruto live-action movie.
While many fans have mixed feelings about Naruto’s return with a live-action, one thing we can say for sure is that it’ll bring huge exposure and trigger a revival of the IP. Ahead of such a big return, the creator, Kishimoto, has dropped a new message for the fans, filled with excitement about what’s to come.
Masashi Kishimoto Drops New Message Ahead Of Naruto’s Return With A Live Action Movie
In the world of entertainment, Naruto is one of the biggest IPs, and one of the most successful and recognizable anime manga series both in Japan and around the world. Naruto Uzumaki, the protagonist, has become one of the global faces for anime, and that is all thanks to the incredible manga crafted by Kishimoto, which ran in Weekly Shonen Jump between 1999 and 2014. The Naruto manga was huge, and the anime by Studio Pierrot, spanning from 2002 to 2017, definitely helped popularize it. Now, in 2026, another massive project is coming in the form of Naruto the Movie — a live-action adaptation of this iconic story. On July 11, 2026, the casting for this movie was officially announced, and with it, Masashi Kishimoto, the creator, revealed his thoughts about the live action project.
We’re all excited for this movie, and so is Kishimoto, the one who created this world and characters. Kishimoto’s comments were published on the official Naruto website. In this new message, he stated that he was beyond exalted to see his series be brought to Hollywood. He reveals that this movie will be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, and that he can’t wait to discover the cast who will bring his characters to life. Here is his full message:
“Right now, miracles are happening to me, one after another. My work, Naruto, is truly, truly becoming a Hollywood movie! And an even greater miracle is that the film will be directed by the one and only Destin Daniel Cretton. I still cannot believe it! If so many miracles have already come together, then let us hope for even more. I am eagerly looking forward to the miraculous encounters that will bring us extraordinary and passionate actors! I cannot wait to meet my characters in the film!” — Kishimoto’s New Message, July 11, 2026
With the movie focusing on the World of Naruto, we’re expecting Kishimoto to have a big hand in the upcoming project. Kishimoto, being a retired Mangaka, definitely has the time to play an active role in this project, far more than other creators, which will definitely only improve the story.
Everything We Know About Live Action ‘Naruto the Movie’ So Far
Naruto The Movie was just announced today, and it’s going to be the first live-action adaptation of Naruto. Fans are naturally wondering why this project was announced now, and this could simply be because of the massive success of another Weekly Shonen Jump manga’s live action adaptation — One Piece, by Netflix. Either way, even though this project was just unveiled to us, we already have some information pertaining to it. For one, it’s being produced by Lionsgate and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. Cretton is especially known for his work on Spider-Man: Brand New Day, so we’re excited to see what he does with Naruto.
It must be said that this movie is still in the very early stages of production. For one, the main characters have yet to be cast, and the process is currently underway to find the perfect fits for the characters of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. The Naruto official site specifically mentions a “global casting search for the three young shinobi of Team 7,” which leads many to believe this movie will be about the early days of Naruto, before the timeskip.
Because the movie is still in pre-production, we don’t know when it will be released, but undoubtedly, its release is still nowhere close. Typically, live-action movies can take a year after filming starts to be released. With the actors not even having been cast yet, we anticipate at least a 2-year wait, and conclude a release date window of 2028 at the earliest. New updates should surface by the end of the year, specifically at big events like Jump Festa 2027.
