The success of One Piece’s live-action Netflix sequence means western studios are going to be different widespread shonen anime to convey to life. My Hero Academia is already on the docket over at Netflix, and we obtained one for Saint Seiya (or Knights of the Zodiac earlier this 12 months. Next up may be none aside from, drumroll please…Naruto.
Earlier in the week, Variety printed a listing of screenwriters to be on the lookout for. One of the folks named was Tasha Huo, and in itemizing her upcoming initiatives—which embody Netflix’s anime sequence for Tomb Raider, Prime Video’s Critical Role: Mighty Nein, and the upcoming Red Sonja movie starring Matilda Lutz—the outlet revealed Huo is creating a Naruto script for Lionsgate. That’s supposedly subsequent on her to-do record, although there wasn’t a lot to glean from her part past the undeniable fact that she’s engaged on it.
Still, the reality {that a} Hollywood Naruto film is even occurring is fairly noteworthy in and of itself. The sequence, initially from manga artist Mashashi Kishimoto, stars the titular teenager Naruto Uzumaki, an orphan who resides in the village of Konoha as its outcast owing to the undeniable fact that he’s been holding the spirit of a demonic fox that attacked the village years in the past within his physique since the day he was born. This isn’t one thing he or different youngsters his age are conscious of, and he’s primarily centered on successful everybody’s respect by build up his ninja expertise to ultimately change into Konoha’s Hokage (village chief). And in working together with his teammates Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha, the three get caught up in lots of bother, together with terrorist assaults, scientist snake males, and vengeful household grudges.
With an anime adaptation that was boosted partially due to Toonami and a few actually nice openings all through its run, Naruto turned extraordinarily widespread. It, alongside Bleach and One Piece, make up the Big Three, referring to how they have been the largest (and in the case of One Piece, long-running) sequence in Shonen Jump throughout the mid-2000s. On its personal, Naruto spawned a variety of anime movies, numerous video video games, and the sequel sequence Boruto, which focuses on his son and is headed up by Kishimoto and artist Mikio Ikemoto.
Lionsgate has been making an attempt to get a Naruto film out the door since 2015 with the assist of Avi Arad. Back then, director Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) was connected, as nicely Kishimoto to assist co-develop the film. Things with Gracey fell by means of and we’ve not heard about it since—however don’t be stunned if that adjustments in the subsequent 12 months or two.
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