Lionsgate’s long-developing live-action Naruto film has moved from development toward production, with Sony Pictures joining as co-financier and international distributor. The Hollywood Reporter reported the deal on Nov. 3, 2026.
Studio roles: Lionsgate remains lead studio for development, production, and domestic distribution; Sony joins for co-financing and international distribution.
Production timing: Production is targeted for spring 2027.
Creative lead: Destin Daniel Cretton is attached to write, direct, and produce.
Source material: The film adapts Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto, about Naruto Uzumaki, an outcast young ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village who wants to become Hokage. The manga ran in Weekly Shonen Jump and concluded in 2014 with 700 chapters.
Sony’s role adds more than money
Sony’s involvement fits a broader anime strategy rather than a one-off distribution deal. In May, Sony Group said anime is an important growth sector and said Crunchyroll had surpassed 21 million paid subscribers as of the end of March 2026. Sony also said it collaborates with group companies and partners across production, fan engagement, marketing, and global distribution to bring anime to worldwide audiences.
The companies have not said Crunchyroll will have a role in the Naruto film. Still, Sony’s anime infrastructure gives the international distribution deal more strategic logic than a standard overseas sales arrangement.
The project already had a casting track
This greenlight follows a visible casting push. In July 2026, the official Naruto site said Lionsgate and Cretton were launching a global casting search for Team 7: Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. The same notice said casting for other characters would follow.
Cretton’s connection to the project dates back to 2024, when Lionsgate announced through the official Naruto site that he had closed a deal to write and direct the adaptation. Kishimoto was also quoted then saying Cretton was open-minded and willing to hear his input.
What remains unannounced
A greenlight is a stronger step than another development update, but it does not lock every part of the release plan. As of Nov. 5, 2026, the available announcements did not specify:
The theatrical release date
The actors playing Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura
The exact storyline or manga arc being adapted
The full production schedule beyond the spring 2027 target
The challenge is format, not awareness
The property does not need the kind of introduction most new franchise films do. The official Naruto site says the manga has more than 250 million print copies sold globally, with the anime beginning broadcast in 2002.
The harder question is how a theatrical film handles a story built from long serialized arcs. Naruto’s early story needs room for Team 7, the Hidden Leaf Village, ninja training, rivalries, comedy, and the emotional hook of Naruto as an outsider trying to earn recognition. A first film can only choose part of that material.
That makes casting and story scope the next meaningful signs to watch. A release date will matter, but the first clear clue about the adaptation’s direction will be which characters and arcs Lionsgate and Sony choose to put on screen.
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