The short version: Charles Melton is in final negotiations to play Kakashi Hatake in Lionsgate's live-action Naruto movie. That would be the first role filled. Writer and director Destin Daniel Cretton is still looking for his three teenagers, filming is set for early 2027 in the United Kingdom, and no release date exists.
Charles Melton as Kakashi: what is actually locked?
Nothing is signed, and that is the most important part of the story. On August 20, 2026, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Charles Melton was "in final negotiations" for the role of Kakashi. Anime News Network, Gizmodo and Variety picked it up the same day, with Variety noting it had reached out to Lionsgate without a reply. Final negotiations, in studio language, means the deal is far along but the signature is not there yet.
It would still be the first role cast on the film, ahead of Naruto himself. Casting the mentor before the students is not unusual: a known actor secures financing while the production keeps hunting for fresh faces to play the kids.
Click the image to watch the sequence on the VIZ Media YouTube channel.
Melton is 35, born January 4, 1991. Most viewers met him as Reggie Mantle on Riverdale between 2017 and 2023. He changed lanes with May December in 2023, which brought him Golden Globe and Critics' Choice nominations, then with the second season of Beef on Netflix, where he plays Austin. That part earned him his first Emmy nomination, for supporting actor in a limited or anthology series. His mother is Korean, his father American.
Why the name is already splitting the fandom
The dominant reaction online, collected on August 21 in a roundup published by Yahoo Entertainment, comes down to one sentence: plenty of readers expected a Japanese actor. Two names keep coming back in the replies, Mackenyu, who plays Zoro in Netflix's One Piece, and Takeru Satoh, who carried five Rurouni Kenshin films. The pushback is not aimed at Melton himself, it is aimed at the idea of a Hollywood adaptation of a Japanese manga.
The other argument, about age, is easier to settle. Kakashi is in his early thirties during Naruto Shippuden, after being introduced at the start of the series as a jonin in his twenties. Melton is 35. If the movie does open in the Shippuden era, the gap is small.
Then there is the difficulty baked into the character. Kakashi spends nearly all his screen time with a mask over the lower half of his face and a headband covering his left eye, the one holding Obito's Sharingan. An actor playing Kakashi is therefore acting with one eye and a pair of eyebrows, which is a far tougher exercise than putting on a grey wig. Add the deadpan tone, the chronic lateness and the little book he never puts down, and you get a role that is easy to miss.
Where the project stands, year by year
It has been eleven years. Lionsgate picked up the rights in 2015 with Michael Gracey attached to direct, then had Jon and Erich Hoeber rewrite the script in 2017. Variety revealed in November 2023 that Tasha Huo, who wrote Red Sonja, had taken over the screenplay. On February 23, 2024, the Naruto franchise site announced Destin Daniel Cretton as writer and director.
| Step | Date | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| Rights acquired | 2015 | Lionsgate starts the project, Michael Gracey attached to direct |
| Rewrite | 2017 | Jon and Erich Hoeber take over the script |
| New screenplay | November 2023 | Tasha Huo on writing duty, revealed by Variety |
| Director | February 23, 2024 | Destin Daniel Cretton writes and directs, announced by the franchise |
| Global casting | July 10, 2026 | Open search for Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura |
| First role | August 20, 2026 | Charles Melton in final negotiations for Kakashi |
Cretton directed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and he is coming straight off Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which reached theaters on July 31, 2026. He is also the one who met Masashi Kishimoto in Tokyo before signing on: "it was a true honor to meet Kishimoto-san in Tokyo and hear his expansive vision for his creation," he said at the time of the announcement. Kishimoto answered with a comment published by the franchise: "the live action NARUTO is bound to be a film with spectacular action and profound drama. I can't help but be excited for it."
On the producing side you find Avi Arad, Ari Arad and Emmy Yu for Arad Productions, Jeremy Latcham, plus Cretton himself through his company Hisako with Jeyun Munford.
Who is playing Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura?
Nobody, so far. On July 10, 2026, the franchise announced an international open search for the three members of Team 7, adding that the other characters would be cast later. Cretton framed it in one line: "I'm thrilled to kick off this worldwide casting search for our Team 7 and to bring the incredible universe of Naruto to life."
Kishimoto reacted the way he usually does, with no filter: "right now, miracles are happening to me, one after another. My work, Naruto, is truly, truly becoming a Hollywood movie! I am eagerly looking forward to the miraculous encounters that will bring us extraordinary and passionate actors!"
Watch out for fake casting notices. No detailed application process has been published by the production as of this writing. The breakdowns going around on background-casting sites, with precise criteria (ages 16 to 20, an all-Asian cast, fluent English, a plus for martial arts, dance, gymnastics or parkour), come from those sites and not from Lionsgate. Knight Edge Media, which ran the most detailed breakdown on July 14, concludes from it that the film would start in the Shippuden era, since the three leads are described as 16. That is a press deduction, not an announcement. If you want to try your luck, follow the franchise and Lionsgate accounts, and never pay to apply.
The three-years-later reunion scene is one click away.
When does the live-action Naruto movie come out?
There is no date, not even a window announced by Lionsgate. What we know concerns the shoot: early 2027, in the United Kingdom. July's casting paperwork mentioned January through August 2027, while The Hollywood Reporter wrote on August 20 that filming would start in February. One month of drift on a two-year schedule changes very little.
The late 2028 or early 2029 release you see quoted elsewhere is an extrapolation from that shooting window. It is plausible for a visual-effects film of this size, but it is arithmetic, not information. Any precise date circulating today is wrong by construction, because the studio has not given one.
Blue Bird, the third Shippuden opening, is on the Crunchyroll channel.
Where to pick the series back up in the meantime
Through the manga, if you want the original version without losing a month to it. Kishimoto published Naruto in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1999 to 2014, 700 chapters collected in 72 volumes. The franchise claims more than 250 million copies sold across over 60 countries and territories. The anime adds up to 220 episodes for the first series and 500 for Shippuden, which is exactly why a two-hour film will have to cut.
On the shop side, this news lands on the steadiest shelf in the catalogue. The Kakashi book, at 12.99 EUR, holds 4.8 out of 5 across 17 reviews: it is the prop that gets a laugh at every convention, and the only item on the shelf tied directly to the character we are talking about here. The Akatsuki rings remain our most requested Naruto pieces, and I broke down what their kanji mean and which one to buy first in a separate guide.
There is also something to do away from a screen while you wait: Bandai launches its Naruto card game in summer 2027, worldwide on the same day, and I summed up the rules and the schedule of the Naruto Card Game after its Gen Con demo. In other words, the licence will hold the floor in 2027 on two fronts, the film shoot and the card game.
Frequently asked questions
Is Charles Melton confirmed as Kakashi?
No. The Hollywood Reporter wrote on August 20, 2026 that he was in final negotiations, which means the contract is not signed. Lionsgate has not commented and the Naruto franchise has published nothing on the subject. Until the announcement comes from the studio or the franchise, the casting stays conditional.
When does the live-action Naruto film come out?
No release date has been announced. The only marker is the shoot, set for early 2027 in the United Kingdom: January according to July's casting paperwork, February according to The Hollywood Reporter. The 2028 or 2029 releases you see quoted are estimates drawn from that schedule, nothing more.
Who is directing the Naruto movie for Lionsgate?
Destin Daniel Cretton, who also writes it. He directed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, as well as Spider-Man: Brand New Day, released on July 31, 2026. He was announced on the project on February 23, 2024, after meeting Masashi Kishimoto in Tokyo.
Is Masashi Kishimoto involved in the film?
He is attached to the project and has spoken about it publicly since 2024. He commented on Cretton's arrival, then on the global casting launch in July 2026. Anime News Network reports that he is involved in production decisions, without the scope of that role being detailed.
How do you audition for the Naruto movie?
The production has not published a detailed process. The search announced on July 10, 2026 covers Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura, with other characters coming later. Follow the franchise site and Lionsgate's verified accounts: the very precise casting sheets circulating elsewhere come from third-party listing sites, and no legitimate application ever asks for payment.
Antoine, founder of Bakashop. Facts checked on August 22, 2026 against The Hollywood Reporter, Anime News Network, Variety, Gizmodo, Knight Edge Media and the announcements published by the Naruto franchise. Prices and review scores read the same day on the product pages. Images: ©Masashi Kishimoto, Shueisha, via the VIZ Media and Crunchyroll YouTube channels. This article will be updated when the casting is confirmed.
