Announced nearly nine years ago, the production of the live-action Naruto movie is finally underway. While some fans are skeptical about it, most are overjoyed with the development. It is only appropriate to be excited since the renowned director of Shang-Chi is working on the project.
Yes, you read that right, Daniel Cretton is the director of the upcoming Naruto-live action movie, and fans are extremely satisfied with the selection. Since details on the film are scarce, otakus have already begun fan-casting the characters of Naruto.
Fans Suggest an Ambitious Casting for Madara Uchiha
Madara Uchiha is one of the biggest antagonists in Naruto as well as the founder of the Uchiha clan. Above everything else, Madara loves battling and even describes the brutal sights, sounds, and taste of his blood as dancing. As a shinobi, he held a lot of power and intellect, which came at the cost of cruel and reckless decisions. In the later years, he became pessimistic and believed that humanity is incapable of changing its destructive ways.
Madara is bound to have a huge role in the live-action Naruto movie, given his involvement in some of the most important arcs of the franchise. Of course, that is if the movie follows the main source perfectly without digressing from the original plot.
Hiroyuki Sanada has a powerful presence on screen and could be the perfect cast for Madara Uchiha. Since Madara is a powerful character who carries the aura of someone strong, Sanada has the bandwidth and experience to perform the role. Of course, his past experience in battle scenes will come in handy during the fight choreographies.
Why Hiroyuki Sanada is Perfect for Madara’s Role in Naruto
Hiroyuki Sanada is an award-winning Japanese actor who has starred in more than 50 films. He has starred in movies like The Twilight Samurai and Shogun. He was also featured in the popular action movie, John Wick: Chapter 4. So by now, you know that the actor is not only versatile, he is also well-versed in action choreographies.
In Shogun, Sanada acts in the role of Yoshii Toranaga, a powerful leader of the Kanto region in Japan. Toranaga is stuck trying to defeat his enemies despite being outnumbered. He also faced challenges from fellow lords who attempted to become the next leader. The story of political strife is finely woven with a power struggle. Of course, this is very similar to Madara Uchiha, who always struggled for power and once he received it, he immediately showed his true colors.
Since Sanada has already portrayed a character who is very similar to Naruto’s Madara Uchiha, he will be at ease playing the villain. Good CGI techniques will help develop the character even more. Sanada will be able to play the pre-resurrection Madara and he could be de-aged using CGI to feature in the Fourth Shinobi World War arc.
You can read Naruto on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.