Michael Gracey was able to convince moviegoers that P.T. Barnum was a good man who can sing and dance, so fans are hoping he can also bring a blonde ninja to the big screen with his integrity intact. Gracey has the unenviable task of helming a live-action Naruto movie, which already has many anime fans shaking their heads in disappointment.
Thankfully, Gracey seems to be aware of Hollywood's various botched attempts at adapting anime, as the director has told Collider he wants to do right by the anime, the fans, and series creator Masashi Kishimoto.
Gracey acknowledged how so many of Hollywood's anime adaptations never do the source material justice. The Greatest Showman director actually wants to work with Kishimoto to make sure the film does well.
"I don't know [if it will be my next film], to be honest. You know Kishimoto, who created the original series, he's just a genius. 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."
It looks like Gracey would rather develop this slowly with Kishimoto then rush it for a quick buck. Aside from wanting to work with Kishimoto, he also wants to make sure the script is good. He even stressed that production on the film won't start until a good script is produced.
Kishimoto had previously expressed excitement for Naruto's live-action future. The manga veteran is hoping it does the franchise justice and fans acknowledge how changes have to be made. Hopefully, he gets to work with Gracey so he can make sure it does well.
No release date for the Naruto film has been announced. In the meantime, fans can watch Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations on Crunchyroll.
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