Charles Melton in Final Talks to Play Kakashi Hatake in Live-Action Naruto Movie

News

Aug 20

The live-action Naruto movie is currently underway with casting and appears to have found its first star.

Charles Melton, known for his Emmy-nominated performance in Season 2 of *Beef*, is in final talks with Lionsgate to star as Kakashi Hatake in the upcoming live-action feature film adaptation of *Naruto.*

According to an exclusive report by The Hollywood Reporter, Charles Melton (Beef) is in the final stages of negotiations to star as Kakashi Hatake in Lionsgate's upcoming live-action feature film adaptation of Naruto. The film will be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Spider-Man: Brand New Day). Filming is expected to begin around February 2027, with global casting currently underway for the lead roles of Team 7, including Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno.

Created by Masashi Kishimoto, the original Naruto manga was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1999 to 2014, while its anime adaptations Naruto and Naruto Shippuden ran from 2002 to 2017. With over 250 million copies sold worldwide, it stands as one of the best-selling manga series of all time. The sequel manga series BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS debuted in 2016 and remains in ongoing serialization. In the manga, Kakashi Hatake serves as the sensei to protagonist Naruto Uzumaki and Team 7. Known as the "Copy Ninja" for his ability to replicate opponent techniques using his Sharingan, he remains one of the franchise's most popular characters. Charles Melton rose to prominence on Riverdale before earning a Golden Globe nomination for Todd Haynes' May December. He recently starred in Alex Garland's Warfare and Beef Season 2, earning an Emmy nomination for the latter.

Director Destin Daniel Cretton established his career in independent film before directing Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). He recently directed Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which set domestic opening records, surpassed $2 billion worldwide, and entered the top ten highest-grossing films of all time.

Hollywood has frequently attempted to adapt major Japanese manga and anime properties into live-action films with mixed box office and critical results:

Past high-profile adaptations include Dragonball Evolution, Ghost in the Shell, and Death Note.
In 2019, Robert Rodriguez and James Cameron (Avatar franchise) adapted Alita: Battle Angel, which achieved mixed critical reception despite high production costs.
Netflix is slated to release a live-action Gundam movie next year, directed by Jim Mickle (Sweet Tooth) and starring Noah Centineo (To All the Boys I've Loved Before franchise) and Sydney Sweeney (Anyone but You).