Lionsgate has forged a co-financing and distribution alliance with Sony Pictures for its live-action feature adaptation of Masashi Kishimoto’s global manga powerhouse Naruto, with the studio officially issuing a greenlight for principal photography to commence in spring 2027.
The deal, which resolved a multi-studio bidding contest, positions Sony to co-finance the tentpole and oversee international theatrical distribution, while Lionsgate retains domestic distribution rights alongside oversight of ongoing development and physical production. The alignment leverages Sony’s extensive anime infrastructure—including its corporate ownership of global streaming hub Crunchyroll—as well as its existing ties with director Destin Daniel Cretton, who recently delivered the studio’s $2.5 billion box-office titan Spider-Man: Brand New Day and inked an overall first-look producing pact with Sony in September.
Cretton is writing the screenplay and will both direct and produce the project, re-teaming with producing partner Jeyun Munford under his Hisako production banner. Avi Arad, Ari Arad, and Emmy Yu are producing on behalf of Arad Productions, with Tetsu Fujimura also serving as a producer. At Lionsgate, Motion Picture Group president of production Erin Westerman and EVP of production James Myers steered the project’s development and Cretton’s hiring, with Helen Lee-Kim securing Sony as international partner under the stewardship of Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson and Sony Motion Picture Group CEO Tom Rothman.
Serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1999 to 2014, Naruto chronicles the journey of orphan ninja outcast Naruto Uzumaki, who harbors the sealed spirit of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox while aspiring to become the Hokage, the respected leader and protector of his village. The underlying literary IP has surpassed 250 million print copies sold worldwide across more than 60 territories, generating parallel anime series, merchandising empires, and international video game releases spanning 145 countries.
Casting is underway to fill the titular protagonist, with Charles Melton (May December, Beef) currently in active discussions to take on the key role of Kakashi Hatake, the elite masked shinobi who serves as mentor to Naruto and his rookie peers in Team 7.
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