Mixed reactions from fans are expected once the official announcement for a live-action "Naruto" movie takes place. However, Masashi Kishimoto, the main man behind the hit-anime series, will be in charge of its Hollywood production. With this, some are expecting it will be different from what the anime fan base witnessed for a couple of adaptations.
Despite attempts to cover competitive movie versions of several anime series, none from Hollywood has really pulled it off and impressed the fan community. More often than not, hardcore fans are complaining how Hollywood versions of their favorite anime series are being converted to look "more Western."
One of the recently debated adaptation is Hollywood's take on "Ghost in the Shell," where Scarlett Johansson took the role of the protagonist. Others have labelled it as "whitewashing," referring how the production altered the physical features of the character to look more Westernized.
In a report by GameSpot, while Kishimoto will be in charge of production, the directorial duties will be headed by Lionsgate's Michael Gracey who previously handled the visual effects on 2005's "The Magician."
"Naruto" live-action movie is still in pre-production, and details about its release date has not been finalized. Back in July 2015, a "Naruto" movie made rounds of rumors, but it was not until last weekend in an anime convention where the rumor was confirmed, Polygon reported.
"Naruto" follows the story of a young boy named Uzumaki Naruto, who was used to carry the legendary nine-tailed demon fox that wreaked havoc to Earth years ago. People from his village are mocking him because of this, but despite it, Naruto kept on pursuing his dream to become a Hokage. Bonds and friendships were built along the way, but these were also the very same things which confronted him to the residing darkness outside Konoha and within himself.
Alongside "One Piece" and "Bleach," "Naruto" remained to be one of the top three most followed manga series since it debuted in 1999. Just recently, the original manga has already concluded, but a spinoff to the series is already being prepared and in development.
For more details about the live-action "Naruto" film, check out the video below.