Lionsgate Begins Global Casting for Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura Roles
Lionsgate has started a worldwide casting search for the main roles of Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno in the Hollywood live-action film adaptation of Masashi Kishimoto's manga Naruto. The announcement was made on July 10, 2026, via the official Naruto website and social media. Destin Daniel Cretton, director of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is attached to direct. Casting for additional characters will be announced sequentially. The project was first announced in 2016 but had remained in development with few public updates. Original creator Masashi Kishimoto released a statement expressing excitement, saying he hopes for "further miracles" and looks forward to "miraculous encounters with passionate and wonderful actors." The manga was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1999 to 2014 and has a massive global fanbase. Cretton also posted on his Instagram, calling it an honor to bring the world to the big screen for the first time as a live-action film.