Destin Daniel Cretton Will Write and Direct Live-Action Naruto

Cretton joins the Naruto adaptation in works at Lionsgate since 2015.

Image credit: Shueisha

The Hollywood Reporter revealed today that Destin Daniel Cretton, director of Short Term 12 and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, will be writing and directing the upcoming live-action adaptation of Naruto.

Personally, I think Cretton could be a good fit, based on his work developing American Born Chinese and directing a few episodes, as well as his work at Marvel. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cretton has creator Masashi Kishimoto’s blessing:

“When I heard of Destin’s attachment, it happened to be right after watching a blockbuster action film of his, and I thought he would be the perfect director for Naruto,” said Kishimoto in a statement. “After enjoying his other films and understanding that his forte is in creating solid dramas about people, I became convinced that there is no other director for Naturo. In actually meeting Destin, I also found him to be an open-minded director who was willing to embrace my input, and felt strongly that we would be able to cooperate together in the production process.”

Arad Productions (Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse, Venom, Borderlands, Uncharted, and more upcoming video game and anime adaptations) is involved, as well as producer Jeremy Latcham (Iron Man, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves). Arad has a mixed track record, but I’m hopeful.