‘Naruto’ creator Masashi Kishimoto involved in live-action US remake

During the Jump Festa event this past Saturday, Dec. 17, it was confirmed that a live-action film adaptation of "Naruto" was being made in Hollywood. The film will be produced by Lionsgate with "The Greatest Showman" director Michael Gracey at the helm. It has now been confirmed that series creator Masashi Kishimoto is also directly involved in the film.

Kishimoto's involvement indicates that the studios are aiming to keep the film as faithful as possible to the source material. Both the "Fist of the North Star" and "Dragon Ball: Evolution" films were panned, partially for not following the source material, and Kishimoto's involvement may avoid this problem, Anime News Network reported.

The extent of Kishimoto's work for the film is still unknown. It is possible the creator will be an active supervisor for the film or may have only been signed on as a consultant for specific plot beats and casting choices. The studios have yet to further clarify his role in the film's production.

It should be noted that some films based on Japanese anime and manga have still been successful and critically praised. Some of these films include "Edge of Tomorrow" and the three "Rurouni Kenshin" films, although the latter was produced in Japan and not Hollywood.

"Naruto" debuted in 1999 and focuses on the story of teenage ninjas in training, particularly the titular Naruto and his friends Sakura and Sasuke. The series officially ended in 2014 although an epilogue series, focusing on Naruto's son Boruto, was launched, Screen Rant reported.

Director Michael Gracey is also involved with "The Greatest Showman on Earth" which is a biopic about P.T. Barnum. Gracey is also working on the film "Rocketman" which sees actor Tom Hardy portraying renowned musician Elton John. He is also in the race to direct a second attempt of adapting Roald Dahl's "The Witches" novels.

Lionsgate has yet to announce an official release date for the live-action "Naruto" film.