Spider-Man: Brand New Day Proves Naruto’s Live-Action Movie is in Good Hands
Spider-Man: Brand New Day has been dominating theaters as the most successful movie release of the last few years, and it’s proof positive that the upcoming live-action Naruto movie is in good hands with its director. Naruto was first announced to be in the works on a live-action adaptation several years ago, but it wasn’t until the last couple of years that it had finally started taking shape and really moving forward. Much of it is because director Destin Daniel Cretton was wrapping his work on his latest project, Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
With Spider-Man: Brand New Day officially released, Cretton is free to move onto his next major project which is the live-action Naruto movie. Worldwide casting for the film is now underway, and while that means Spider-Man fans are going to have to wait a longer time for Cretton to return for a sequel there, it also means that Naruto fans won’t have to worry too much about how this live-action anime adaptation is going to make its jump to screens. It’s going to be in very good hands.
Spider-Man’s Director Understands Naruto’s Core Story and Ideas
The aspect of an anime or manga franchise getting a live-action adaptation is a much easier pill to swallow now than it was in the past. Compared to a decade or so ago, we’ve seen projects come to life thanks to creators who are bonafide fans of the original works (or at the very least were aware of their existence before taking it on). That’s the case for Cretton too as in a recent interview he had noted how they were going to hone in on Naruto’s personal journey of acceptance from the rest of his village. Much like how Spider-Man: Brand New Day isolates Peter and focuses on his character journey, Naruto will do the same.
This proves that Cretton has an understanding of the core tenet of Naruto‘s story, and will be building a universally appealing film story on top of that core. But even with an understanding of its story, the adaptation is coming together in what seems to be in the right way thus far. A worldwide casting search has been launched for its main trio of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. While it seems like their ages are skewed a bit older in the search, it’s already been revealed that they will be focusing on actors with an Asian descent to keep it in line with the original series.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Already Shows Off Ninja Action
Spider-Man: Brand New Day also shows a clear understanding of the kind of floaty ninja action that Naruto is filled with. Not only does Peter move with the kind of flow fans have seen in the Spider-Man PlayStation 5 video game releases, but it’s important to note how big of a role that the Hand played in that film too. They served as a henchmen group that Peter needed to face off against in the final act of the film, and kind of hinted at how Naruto’s own ninja action is going to look when it hits too. Especially when it comes to how they worked together.
One thing you’ll pick up on with the Hand sequence is how they move in tandem. They often grab onto one another, or hold hands when charging around and that is basically just like Naruto when he uses the Shadow Jutsu technique. It’s also very floaty, and that’s perfect for how Naruto moves as well. The ninja in that series aren’t exactly weighed down by real world physics, and it’s going to take a good director and stunt team to make all of that look just as good in live-action as it could be.
This kind of floaty action worked well in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and fans accepted it as part of the movie without any real question. It’s that kind of believability that’s going to be needed to make a live-action Naruto movie stick, and that’s all going to be necessary as fans also try and dive into this world. It’s going to take a solid story, fun looking action, and more for fans to accept Naruto’s wild ideas, and Destin Daniel Cretton is the right one to hopefully stick the landing.
