Lionsgate has been working on a live-action version of the well-known anime and manga series Naruto for a while now. Despite the fact that the movie was announced in 2015, no significant updates regarding the project have been released since then. The project involved Tasha Huo, the screenwriter of the popular Netflix series The Witcher.
Fans of the original series as well as the anime and manga community are eagerly awaiting further information regarding the adaptation, for now, there is only confirmation that it is still in the planning stages. Despite the lack of an official confirmation, the film appears to be currently being made with a late 2024 release date planned.
However, recently in an interview, the English Voice Actor of the protagonist Naruto from the anime series, Maile Flanagan discussed the live-action movie and gave a positive update about the adapted film. She also talked about the potential success of the upcoming live-action movies in the entertainment industry.
Naruto’s VA Maile Flanagan Discuss About the Live-Action Movie
In an interview with CBR, Naruto’s English voice artist talked about how she has been hearing rumors about the movie for years. She also stated that she has been getting calls about not talking about the movie, but that never happens.
Flanagan stated:
“I have heard rumors for years about a movie. I have gotten whispered phone calls from Hollywood offices, saying you’re not allowed to say anything. But it never happens. I think certainly, it makes it a little more worth it. I think that they might be able to envision actually producing a movie more because of that. I haven’t seen it, so I don’t know what it is. I hear it’s good.”
According to her, she has heard that the movie is good and the offices asking her not to talk about it makes it a little more worth it and they might be able to envision producing a movie more because of it.
Maile Flanagan Talks About the Success of Live-Action Adaptations
During the interview, Maile Flanagan also stated that although she doesn’t watch anime and she doesn’t how they are going to compress a series like Naruto into a movie, she does know that it has the potential to be a success.
She said:
“I don’t watch anime and I don’t watch One Piece. I don’t know how they’re going to wrestle this beast into a single movie. I think the first problem was that these old crusty executives didn’t get it, right? And now it’s cool. Like it’s even cooler than some other stuff.”
She further stated:
“So they also get the value of it. I’ve never seen so much merchandise for a property as I have. If you think Star Wars is everywhere, it’s not. Naruto is everywhere. There are spatulas! The merch alone is crazy.”
According to her, the love for anime has grown so much that it is everywhere. Which now makes it much more cooler than other series. This is why the executives now understand the value of it, thus they are producing so much merchandise for the series.
Although there has been no disclosure about the potential release date, Flanagan’s comment about the live-action makes the wait for the movie worth it.
