Right now comics books are enjoying their golden age at the theaters. They are one of the main sources of blockbuster filmmaking, when you take a close look at the box office charts the past decade or so. However, while the sub-genre is enjoying life at the top, Hollywood is always looking for the next trend or source material to mine. It seems as if anime will be given a chance to shine in the near future. This fall we will be getting the first live-action Attack on Titan movie that has fans of the series giddy. Meanwhile Dreamworks is preparing to shoot the live-action adaptation of Ghost in the Shell, starring Scarlett Johansson. With this in mind, Lionsgate is getting their own franchise off the ground that may be more well-known than either of the aforementioned properties.
The original manga, Naruto, was created by Masashi Kishimoto, about a young martial artist who envisions himself to become the legendary ninja his tribe needs. American audiences may be more familiar with the anime that aired on most kid’s networks beginning in 2002. The original show ran for over 200 episodes and spawned ten animated feature films, along with video games and all forms of merchandise.
Lionsgate has reportedly locked up Michael Gracey, a former visual effects specialist who has a string of directing projects lined up, including a biopic about Elton John starring Tom Hardy. Clearly he has been identified as a rare talent. What may give fans of Naruto some cause for concern however, is that producer Avi Arad, the man possibly responsible for running Spider-Man into the ground for Sony, will be shepherding the project. However, as long as they avoid a Last Airbender level of catastrophe, it is hard to imagine that this movie won’t become a success with such a large worldwide fanbase. In any case, Naruto is far from hitting the screen, but we will be sure to bring you the latest on it as this one develops.
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Source: Variety