Having unleashed Spider-Man: Brand New Day upon the world, director Destin Daniel Cretton is now looking to follow the $2.2 billion-grossing Marvel blockbuster by bringing the world of Naruto to live-action with a feature film adaptation of the iconic manga, and it seems we may have our first piece of casting news.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Emmy-nominated Beef star Charles Melton is in final talks to join the cast of the Lionsgate film and, should a deal be reached, he’ll reportedly take on the fan-favourite role of Kakashi Hatake, the ninja mentor to protagonist Naruto Uzumaki and his friends.
Having originally broken out in The CW series Riverdale, Melton starred alongside Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore in 2023’s May December, while his other recent credits include Alex Garland’s Warfare and Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell, the latter of which released last month.
Created by Masashi Kishimoto and launching in 1999, Naruto follows the title character, a young ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village who, despite being ridiculed for possessing the spirit of a malevolent nine-tailed fox within his body, aspires to become the leader of his village. It has sold over 250 million copies worldwide, making it one of the bestselling manga series of all-time, while its anime adaptation also achieved global success. Filming on the live-action movie is expected to begin in February 2027.
