According to an exclusive report by The Hollywood Reporter, American actor Charles Melton is in talks to play Kakashi Hatake in the upcoming live-action film Naruto.
One of the film's directors and writers is Destin Daniel Cretton, known for projects such as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Cretton was appointed as the director of Naruto back in 2024 when Lionsgate officially announced the development of a live-action film adaptation of Masashi Kishimoto's manga.
Meanwhile, casting for the main characters is still underway. Lionsgate is searching globally for actors to play Team 7 members Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. Destin Daniel Cretton himself previously expressed his honor at being able to bring the world of Naruto to the big screen in live-action form for the first time.
Masashi Kishimoto's original manga was serialized from 1999 to 2014, spanning 72 volumes. According to TheWrap, total circulation exceeded 250 million copies, making Naruto one of the most popular manga IPs worldwide.