Charles Melton in Final Talks to Bring Fan-Favourite Character to Life in Destin Daniel Cretton’s ‘Naruto’

Live-action manga adaptations have had a rocky track record in Hollywood, but few franchises carry as much weight or as much fan anxiety as “Naruto.” Lionsgate has held the rights to Masashi Kishimoto’s beloved ninja saga since 2015, watching the project sit in development purgatory for years before finally landing the right creative team to bring it to the screen.

That team finally clicked into place when Destin Daniel Cretton, fresh off directing Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” signed on to write and direct the adaptation. Cretton officially kicked off casting last month, launching what he called a “worldwide casting search” specifically focused on finding actors for Team 7, the core group of young ninjas at the heart of the story.

That search now appears to have found its first major piece. Charles Melton is in final talks to join Cretton’s live-action “Naruto” movie, with sources indicating the “Beef” actor is being eyed to play Kakashi Hatake, the elite ninja mentor figure who guides the story’s young protagonist and his friends.

Kakashi ranks among the most beloved characters in Kishimoto’s sprawling manga, which ran from 1999 to 2014 and sold more than 250 million copies worldwide, making it one of the most popular media properties on the planet. Landing an actor of Melton’s caliber for such a pivotal supporting role signals just how seriously Lionsgate and Cretton are treating this adaptation after years of false starts.

Melton’s own career has been on a rapid upward trajectory over the past few years. He earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his work in “Beef” Season 2 alongside Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, and Cailee Spaeny, following widely praised turns in Todd Haynes’ “May December” and Alex Garland’s “Warfare.”

His physical background may also work in his favor for a role as demanding as Kakashi. Melton holds a second-degree black belt in taekwondo and competed in the Junior Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, giving him a martial arts foundation that could prove useful for a character built around precise, high-stakes combat sequences.

Beyond Melton’s talks, the broader casting search for Team 7 remains ongoing, with Lionsgate still hunting for actors to play Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. As of now, Melton stands as the only actor publicly connected to the project, though his involvement suggests more casting news is likely on the horizon as production edges closer.

Cretton’s timing for tackling this adaptation lines up with the massive success of his most recent project. “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which he directed, has already crossed $2 billion at the global box office, making it one of the highest-grossing films of all time and giving Cretton considerable momentum heading into his next major undertaking.

Sources indicate “Naruto” is eyeing a production start around February 2027, giving the casting search several more months to lock down its remaining leads. Kishimoto himself has expressed genuine excitement over seeing his work make the jump to live-action, previously describing the moment as one “miracle” after another and calling it “truly, truly” surreal to see Cretton attached as director.

For a franchise that’s weathered over a decade of stalled attempts and false starts since Lionsgate first acquired the rights, Melton’s potential casting represents one of the clearest signs yet that this adaptation is finally moving forward in earnest. Given how much scrutiny anime and manga adaptations typically face from devoted fanbases, all eyes will be on how the rest of Team 7 comes together in the months ahead.

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