Lionsgate to Create a Live-Action Adaptation of ‘Naruto’ Anime Series

Alright ninjas in training, it’s time to get your headbands and shuriken ready! According to Variety, Lionsgate acquired the rights and will be adapting the long-running anime series, Naruto, with Michael Gracey in talks to direct. Although little is known at about the project at this time, this announcement continues to show Hollywood’s current trend of creating live-action adaptations of popular animated fare.

For the uninitiated, Naruto began as a manga that consisted of 72 volumes and ran from 1999-2014. In 2002, the manga was then adapted into an anime series that ran for five years and consisted of 220 episodes. However, the series didn’t end there. After the end of the first series, a sequel series, called Naruto: Shippuden, began to air and continues to run (with around 420 episodes released so far). Currently, there has been no announcement as to what part of the franchise the live-action movie will adapt.

The last anime adaptation that Hollywood attempted was Dragonball: Evolution, an adaptation of the very popular Dragonball manga. This adaptation was not only critically panned, but was disliked by both fans of the franchise and original creator, Akira Toriyama. However, it seems like Hollywood is ready to try adapting anime one more time as, besides Naruto, there are also adaptations of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Akira, and Ghost in the Shell currently in production.

What is your opinion on a live-action adaptation of ‘Naruto’? What anime would you like to see have a live-action adaptation?

Edited by: Hannah Wilkes