Is A Live Action 'Naruto' Movie Worth It?
The Hollwood produced live-action anime adaptations have been pretty horrible so far. Some of them are bearable, but none of them ever live up to their full expectations. Each adaptation has come under scrutiny for either its casting choices, or plot elements. With all the backlash that comes with even announcing a Hollywood adaptation; why do they keep making them?
Money. Adaptations and “source material” movies are all the craze nowadays. From Marvel and DC, to films that are inspired by books; the big screen is filled with inspired work. This is not a bad thing however. Some of these pieces have satisfied the likings of critics and fans alike. There’s no denying these movies are the hot ticket in Hollywood, but why are they now targeting anime?
Anime is extremely popular, and it has been for years. It might not be in the American “main stream” pop culture just yet, but it has been climbing that chart in recent years. With the advent of popular shounen anime making its way to the US, it was only a matter of time before Hollywood execs took notice.
We can talk all the live long day about how bad the recent adaptations have been. Death Note, Dragonball, etc. The list goes on and on. But how does any of this apply to Naruto?
In 2015, Lionsgate announced they were going to begin working on a live-action adaptation of Naruto, and director Michael Gracey would be attached. Some time passed, and the talking got quiet all up until they announced mangaka—Masashi Kishimoto would be attached to the film’s production.
In 2018, Gracey revealed that the production of the film was still in the “writing” phase…
Michael Gracey stated…
“So many Hollywood adaptations of really popular manga series just don’t get it right, and for me what was really important was that if I was gonna do Naruto, I wanted to actually work with Kishimoto and get a script to a stage where he would look at it and be excited about realizing it. Because no one knows the world better than the person who created it”…“So for me, as it stands, we’re still working on the script. Because until that script is at a level that I’m excited about, I have no interest in destroying an amazing franchise, as has happened before.”
It’s clear that Michael Gracey is not just some random director that a Hollywood studio tapped to direct a film. He wants to make sure that Kishimoto is “excited” about the script before they even move forward with it. He is not interested in tainting the “Naruto waters,” and it seems like he wants to make a quality film.
Those whispers of a live-action Naruto movie have gone quiet for over a year now. SO, to answer the question posed in the title of this post…
Is A Live-Action 'Naruto' Worth it?
As a fan I would say yes, and no. Allow me to explain.
Why I Say Yes
It’s worth it in the sense that if it were to be done correctly, we could be seeing one of our favorite anime heroes on the big screen in a good light. Anime movies could take off in the same way that the original 'Iron Man' and 'Dark Knight' changed the face of comic book movies. Hollywood execs might finally realize that these films have to stay true to the source material; and maybe they won’t twist their adaptations to their own wills.
If this film gets the script that “excites” Kishimoto, a correctly casted cast, and an interesting storyline; I think an adapted Naruto could be one of the greatest action movies of all time. It’s a farfetched idea today, but imagine if it was done right. The only reason why us fans are so pessimistic towards anime live-actions is because none of them have been done right.
There is always something wrong with the story. A detail or two was changed to fit a western audience, or they casted a white actor to play an obviously Asian character. If the movie were to pull all the highlights of the series out, and put it on the screen; I think the movie could be great. Michael Gracey seems like this is what he wants for the film. IF it were to be made, I feel like it would be in good hands.
Why I Say No
We don’t need a live-action Naruto film. Many fans have been on the hype train since the early the early 2000’s, and Shippūden ended in 2016. We’ve seen all of Naruto’s story told first through manga, and then through anime. His journey to become the Hokage is over, and while it is continuing in 'Boruto,' much of his original essence lives on in his own show.
Backlash against the film would be strong whether or not it did good or bad. Fans don’t want their image of Naruto to be trashed by some whacked out character designs. Maybe in an attempt to make the show “up to par” with contemporary western culture, the characters would be written differently; and they might have attributes that they do not have in the original anime. No matter how good Gracey wants it to be, some Hollywood exec is sure to change some scenes on the editing floor right?
What story would they even tell? Naruto is a series that has a beginning, middle, and end. We see him in different eras of his life, but much of the show is centered around the same conflicts. Heck, the back half of Shippūden is dealing with the Great Ninja War, and the series’ finale is the true ending of the Naruto vs. Sasuke conflict.
Where would Gracey pick it up? He could pick it up at the Chuunin Exams, but that rolls right into the Sasuke Recovery Mission. That’s spans from episodes 20-135. There would be a remarkable amount of content that the film would have to skip over in order to fit feature length. You can’t do a series justice if you don’t have the time to tell it.
People say things like “they should just leave anime alone.” Dragonball is the perfect example. Look at what Hollywood did to that one. What if that same thing happened to Naruto?
Here’s the bottom line. If the movie ever comes to fruition, we are going to watch it anyways. Even if the characters are terribly mis-casted, and the plot is jumpy; we are going to sit through the film regardless.
Here’s My Honest Opinion
I’ve told you why I think having a live-action Naruto movie “is” and “is not” worth it. As a fan of 'Naruto' though, what do I really think?
I want to see it happen, but at the same time I don’t. I think actually seeing a live-action take on one of the greatest anime characters ever would be a cool thing to see. I have an optimistic attitude towards this because of the way Michael Gracey has spoken about the film. He seems passionate enough to make sure that it is done right. I’m sure he is a fan too, and he has no interest in making a heap of trash.
I think a 'Naruto' film would be safe in his hands. However, I think the movie would crumble as there is way too much material to cover. The movie would have to cover ground really fast, and it would have to build character arcs at the same time. This is only considering the fact that one movie could cover Chunnin-Naruto vs. Sasuke at the most.
It would be a spectacle to see, especially with a big budget; but realistically, the storyline would get the best of it.
The truth is, this movie is going to happen. Whether it is Directed by Michael Gracey in the next year, or another director in ten years; this movie is going to happen whether we like it or not.
Until that day comes (and it may never come), we can only speculate about what a live-action Naruto movie would look like. Live-action fight scenes created for YouTube point to its aesthetics looking good. I think it’d be cool, but its story would be too complicated for a two and a half hour long movie.
Hollywood should leave the world of anime adaptations alone. Leave them alone until they can truly respect the material onscreen. The history isn’t good, but maybe that can change. I hope it does.