'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' Director’s Next Movie Officially Picked up by Sony

The live-action Naruto movie is officially moving forward, thanks to some help from Sony. The anime adaptation from Destin Daniel Cretton (Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Short Term 12) has been in the works at Lionsgate and is now set to begin production next year. This marks yet another collaboration between Cretton and Sony, a partnership that saw massive success this year with the latest Tom Holland Spider-Man movie.

In an official press release, Lionsgate announced that Sony Pictures will co-finance and distribute Naruto internationally following a highly competitive bidding war. With Sony onboard, Lionsgate has now greenlit the project and scheduled production to start in spring 2027. Lionsgate will oversee the movie's development, production, and domestic distribution.

Destin Daniel Cretton will write, direct, and produce. On reuniting with Cretton for Naruto, Sony Pictures CEO Tom Rothman said that "we had a sweet success this summer with Destin and are delighted to be back in his capable hands," also calling Lionsgate's project an A-level adaptation. Following the success of Brand New Day this year, Sony entered a three-year deal in which Cretton will develop and produce films for the company under Hisako, the production company he runs with Jeyun Munford.

Everything we know about Destin Daniel Cretton's live-action Naruto movie

The live-action film will be based on the series by Masashi Kishimoto, which has become a global sensation across manga, anime, and video games. Naruto follows the titular character, who starts the story as a young orphan in a fantasy world inspired by Japan's feudal era. Naruto dreams of becoming Hokage, essentially the village leader, and pursues that dream alongside an ever-expanding supporting cast.

This July, Cretton announced that a global casting search for the film had begun to find the series' main trio (called Team 7): Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. While Lionsgate and Cretton haven't confirmed any casting yet, it has also been reported that Charles Melton (Beef) is in talks for the role of Kakashi, Team 7's mentor.