A live-action "Naruto" movie is reportedly in the works after Lionsgate successfully snagged the rights for the film. It was said that Michael Gracey is in talks to direct the highly anticipated movie.
According to Tracking Board, Lionsgate was granted the rights to the popular manga, written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. Former Marvel big boss Avi Arad and his son Ari will reportedly produce the film through their company Arad Productions. The producers claim that they are big fans of the series and cannot wait to see it come to life in the big screen.
The publication reported that it has become a trend for Hollywood to create live-action adaptation of popular manga series. "Death Note" and "Ghost in The Shell" fans are also eagerly anticipating the premiere of the live action movie in 2016.
"Naruto" is the third highest-selling manga in history, with over 200 million copies in print sold. The manga has been adapted into an anime series with over 200 episodes, 10 feature films, with an eleventh "Boruto: Naruto the Movie" set for release in September.
Meanwhile, according to Anime News Network, Viz Media, in partnership with Eleven Arts, has confirmed that "Boruto: Naruto the Movie" will be airing in over 80 cities in the U.S. later this year. The movie, which is set to premiere on Oct. 10, will be screened in original Japanese dubbing with English subtitles.
"Naruto" manga creator Kishimoto revealed that he had been very hands-on with the eleventh movie. Apart from the original story and script, he also helped develop the designs for the main characters.